Not Stolen
by bAritUde no kOkorO
Summary: Natsume's life is faltering due to Alice overuse. There's no other way to save him except for Mikan to steal the entirety of his Alice away. But in this method, their feelings for each other are at stake. Either way, she's destined to lose him, however...
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Gakuen Alice belongs to Tachibana Higuchi.

Setting: Post Alice War. By Alice War, I mean the struggle between Mikan and company against the ESP. Set approx. 2 years after the incident.

**A/N: This story has a bit of OOC alert.**

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**CHAPTER 1: TROUBLES, LIES…AND A KISS**

Mikan let out a deep sigh as soon as she walked out of the Hanahime Den. She shuffled slowly out of the area, occasionally groaning with frustration while pondering on a mixture of matters too difficult for her simplistic mind. She stared at the basket of strawberries she was holding and sighed in relief when she saw that the fruits haven't dried up. Her thoughts reverting back to Hii-sama's advice, she scoffed.

"Trust her to put weird and puzzling things into my head…though every bit she said rings of the truth. She's too frank…scarily frank," Mikan grumbled to herself as she continued to figure out the words of the Middle School Principal in a short chat they had a while ago.

_**Flashback**_

_An hour ago, Mikan was cheerfully skipping through the grounds of Alice Academy after her classes, heading for the infirmary to visit Natsume who was confined three days ago. She was carrying a tiny basket full of strawberries that he asked her to bring, and two volumes of some shounen manga that Mikan thought he would like. She was incredibly excited to see his face—what his reaction would be like, when she gives him these stuff that he wanted. She was already halfway through the middle school building and the hospital when Yamanouchi Shizune of the Hanahime suddenly appeared from the bushes on the sidewalk and blocked her way._

"_Shizune-senpai!" Mikan exclaimed, utterly surprised to see the woman after such a long time. It had been already 2 years ever since Mikan and the others graduated and entered the middle school division, while Shizune, Subaru, Akira and the others from the high school division before had already graduated and left the Academy. Shizune was one of those rumored to have stayed in the Academy to work for the Middle School Principal._

_Shizune, still one who would always wear a serious face, just nodded to acknowledge Mikan._

"_Hii-sama wants to see you," Shizune muttered, using a tone that rang clear of commandment._

_Mikan was perplexed at the sudden announcement. "Eh? Why? Did I do something?"_

"_I have no idea. Anyway, come with me. Hii-sama is waiting for you."_

_With that, Shizune turned her back on Mikan and started walking ahead. Though confused and suddenly nervous as to why the principal wanted to see her, she just shrugged and started to follow her senpai._

_***_

"_Why, hello Mikan." Hii-sama exclaimed as soon as Mikan stepped in front of her in the tatami room where the principal always stayed. The long curly locks of the woman considered the goddess of the Academy danced as she fanned herself and continued. "It has been such a long time. How are you doing?"_

"_U-uhm, well… F-fine, I guess," stuttered Mikan, following her words with a nervous laugh. She never really was used to the eerie atmosphere the woman in front her had, adding the knowledge of the woman having uncanny fantasies towards females…but she tried her best to act casual._

_Hii-sama situated her fan in front of her lips and peculiarly scrutinized Mikan with her emerald eyes. Mikan felt like the woman was searching something deep down in her soul with those dark green eyes, which made her completely uncomfortable, but at the same time, the power that the principal's eyes held caused Mikan to completely freeze in place._

_After ten grueling minutes of silence, Hii-sama spoke. Her voice was deep and slow—as if she was emphasizing every word that came out of her lips. _

"_You're deeply troubled about something. Or should I say…worried. And afraid of."_

_Mikan was stunned silent. She didn't understand what the principal was referring to._

"_W-what do you—"_

_Hii-sama cut her off, and stated the following as if it was the most obvious thing in the world._

"_Guren no Kimi."_

_Mikan's eyes widened. Those words. A title of three words, meaning Crimson Lotus. A nickname from the Hanahime that only belonged to one person. Natsume._

_She could feel heat creep into her face and tinge it with pink. She panicked—she wanted to say something, deny that she didn't worry about Natsume at all, that Hii-sama was just mistaken—but Mikan couldn't find the words to say. Because Hii-sama hit her bull's eye, and there was no room for denial._

_Hii-sama started to chuckle at the panic and worry that registered on Mikan's face. 'She's a complete mixture of Azumi Yuka and that Yukihira brat,' she thought as she snickered in amusement._

_Mikan seemed to have finally found her tongue working. "I…I'm not…with Natsume…uhm…I'm not worried about him at all!"_

_The principal started to fan herself again. "Oh, spare me with those. Besides, if I were you, I'd better start thinking how to help that brat…before things get too late," she spoke, adding extra emphasis onto the last phrase._

_Mikan couldn't help but get nervous at this. "W-what…what do you mean?"_

_Hii-sama's demeanor quickly changed, showing extreme seriousness in her beautiful and elegant face._

"_I know that even someone as stupid as you knows that the boy's condition isn't getting any better…or, better be said, it's getting worse every day. His Alice, being the Limitless type, has been eating the life away from him due to overuse for the past years, ever since he started doing missions for the Academy. And for the past few months, he's been in and out of the infirmary despite my actions to completely halt his assignments into missions."_

_Mikan felt herself staggering. She knew. She knew that. But—_

_Hii-sama continued in a low voice. "If this continues, he will eventually die. And not sooner, I believe."_

_Having heard this, especially the words 'not sooner', Mikan was not able to hold her tears back anymore. That was…so unfair. Natsume dying…not sooner…_

_Mikan mumbled between sobs. "W-why… why are you telling me this? I know, I already know of that possibility, but…"_

_Hii-sama stayed silent, while tears continued to flow from Mikan's eyes._

"_Tell me… what can I do for him? Tell me!" Mikan demanded, her voice losing the confusion before, and was replaced entirely with determination._

_The principal smirked. "You sure do love this boy, don't you."_

_Mikan, caught off-guard by the comment, felt embarrassed. She wasn't aware that even someone like the middle school principal would be aware of things like this. But she chose not to say anything regarding Natsume and her relationship, instead, she just opted to meet the eyes of the principal._

"_I will do whatever I can to help him."_

_Hii-sama's tone became challenging, her elegant eyebrows raised. "Oh? Even if it means that whatever feelings and memories you share with him are at risk?"_

_Mikan's determination faltered a bit. "W-what do you—"_

"_I can only tell you that this method of 'saving' him, I know, will only cause pain and suffering to both of you… especially you, Mikan. Things between you two will drastically change after, and there would be no point of return. Though the things that are at risk are not specifically determined, I could assure you that his life would never be one of those at risk—but that is, if you decide to do it as soon as possible."_

_Mikan was sweating bullets. She didn't like how the 'method' sounded, despite the way the principal spoke of it was too vague. "I…I don't understand. Can you tell me clearly what this method—"_

"_Your Stealing Alice is the key."_

_Mikan's brows creased in confusion and frustration. Her Stealing Alice? Hii-sama's words were starting to get extremely puzzling and difficult to understand._

"_In any case, I can't tell you how the whole method goes as of the moment, since I will be needing to speak to the other divisions' principals and some of the faculty regarding this matter. Because if ever you choose to execute this method, it wouldn't only affect you and Guren no Kimi, but it will be a first case for the Academy as well."_

_Mikan felt like she was toyed with. "H-hey, but why did you tell me these things now?"_

"_Because… I want you to prepare yourself for whatever's coming regarding this. I want you to decide if you will do this or not."_

"_How am I supposed to decide something important like this when I don't even know what that 'method' you're talking about is!?" Mikan protested, her voice a tone higher with frustration._

_Out of the expected things, Hii-sama stood up from where she was. The silky tresses of the flower-printed red kimono she was wearing flowed naturally as she stood up. She closed her fan and looked at Mikan like a mother lecturing a stubborn child would. Mikan suddenly felt a pang of fear that maybe the way she spoke was too harsh and she offended Hii-sama, and now she's on for some punishment. She shivered at the thought._

_However, what Hii-sama stated after, sent Mikan's head into a whirl of anxiety, fear, and confusion. The way the principal said it was the same when someone speaks of the hard truth._

"_It's easy. You will decide between his life and your feelings for each other. That simple."_

_Mikan was astounded upon hearing the woman's words. The latter spoke of it like stating some simple fact about the weather and what-not, but to Mikan, the words 'easy' and 'simple' were naturally out of the question. This was crazy. What the principal wanted her to decide on was extraordinarily stupid. It sounded like she was just being toyed with._

"_Go now and think about it. I have matters to attend to," Hii-sama ordered, turning her back on the speechless Mikan._

_Before the woman clad in red silk kimono vanished from Mikan's sight, she heard her voice once more._

"_And let me tell you one more thing, Mikan. Other than this method, I believe there is no other way to save him. So think about it…and think about it hard."_

_And with that, the principal continued walking away, leaving Mikan staring at nowhere._

***

"Oi, Polka," Natsume's baritone voice filled the silent hospital ward.

Mikan's head swiftly spunned to the bed where Natsume was, her wandering thoughts about her conversation with the middle school principal completely disrupted. She was standing by the window while the nurse injected him with something, when Hii-sama's words echoed in her head again. Mikan felt annoyed at herself. She promised herself before coming to the infirmary that she wouldn't show anything else aside from her bubbly self to Natsume, yet…

She forced out a laugh, despite how fake it sounded, and quickly shuffled to the chair beside Natsume's bed.

"I'm sorry," she laughed again, "I was… just hungry! Yeah, just hungry, I was thinking about food that I didn't notice the nurse was done with you."

Natsume looked at her suspiciously. "Is that so?" He returned his manga on the side table. "What kind of food where you thinking about?"

Mikan hurriedly tried to think of something delicious, but ended up getting confused which yummy food to mention. She started to mumble incoherently, voicing out the 'war' going on inside her head. "Uhm… well… steak! No, not that, uhm… sukiyaki! Eh? Gyuudon is better—"

The raven-haired boy cut her self-argument off. "_Baka._"

Pissed off at being interrupted while thinking about food and being called an idiot, Mikan opened her mouth to start bombarding Natsume with childish profanities when the latter suddenly grabbed her nearest hand. It caused Mikan to shut up, blush ten shades of red and avert her eyes from her boyfriend's face.

"Tell me, what's wrong?" Natsume inquired, keeping his hand on Mikan's, looking at her earnestly.

Ever since Mikan entered the room an hour ago, he sensed there was something wrong with her, though he couldn't point out which exactly. Mikan remained talkative and cheerful so Natsume didn't pay attention to what he sensed before, but since the nurse entered and while Mikan stood looking out from the window, he saw clearly that there was something troubling his girlfriend.

Mikan let out a fake laugh again, softly yanking her hand away from Natsume's hold. "What? What's wrong? Haha, I don't have any problems at all, Natsume! I'm fine, really!"

Natsume kept eyeing her, trying hard to figure out what could be his dear brunette's problem. It seems to him that she's having troubles to keep her act altogether—fake laughs, incoherent excuses and all—but what concerned Natsume was that she only acted like this if there was something serious that she tried to hide from him. Of course, after 4 years of knowing her, and a year and a half of being together, he was aware of trivial things like this about her.

"Hey! Don't look at me like that!" Mikan hollered at him, waving her hands in front of his face.

Natsume scoffed and evaded Mikan's waving hands in front of him that was making him dizzy.

"Then don't start lying when you know you're bad at lying, idiot."

Mikan's brows raised in protest and put both her hands in her waist. "Who's lying and who's an idiot, huh? I'm not lying!"

The fire-caster sighed softly. "You are lying, I know it, you're already busted, so just spit it out."

Making an altogether irritated, annoyed and guilty face, the brunette shut her mouth and faced the side table. She slowly started arranging Natsume's things on the table, throwing the dried fruits, and refilled Natsume's pitcher with water. While she was at it, Natsume just silently followed her movements with his crimson orbs.

After gathering Natsume's used clothes and putting them into a paper bag, Mikan walked towards the couch and picked her school bag up. The crimson-eyed lad furrowed his eyebrows at this. He was about to ask Mikan what she was doing when the girl herself trudged close to him.

"Nothing's wrong, really. Don't worry about me, this is just some… you know, girl stuff. So yeah, don't worry. Sorry, but I'll be going home early today. Tomorrow's Saturday so I'll be with you the whole day," Mikan smiled…a sad smile, "—and I'm bringing you more strawberries. Oh, clothes too."

Natsume knew the 'girl thing' was just another excuse. He was utterly puzzled at her girlfriend's actions, though he knew he couldn't press answers from her while she's like this. He decided to let it be… for now.

"Okay. Be sure to rest up since you look tired," Natsume uttered then smiled his 'timid' smile for Mikan, "—see you tomorrow."

Mikan smiled brightly at him, and then turned away. She picked the paper bag and started to leave when she stopped on her tracks. She faced Natsume again and their eyes met. Crimson orbs were asking hazel ones why she stopped.

"I…I just forgot something," Mikan grumbled, embarrassed.

And to Natsume's surprise, the brunette strutted near him to plant a soft kiss on his lips. He could swear his heart stopped for an instant there.

Mikan hurriedly walked away shouting 'See ya tomorrow!', opened the door to leave, and carelessly slammed it shut. Until the door made its way home, Natsume was left speechless, staring where Mikan had left.

Seeing no more of Mikan, he smirked in amusement.

"The idiot is getting bolder, eh."

He pursed his lips, shrugged, and returned to reading the manga that Mikan brought.

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	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: How I wish Gakuen Alice was mine, but nope, it belongs to Tachibana Higuchi.

**A/N: I have assumed that Mikan will escape with Yuka from the Academy before the Alice War. **

**This chapter also mentions of the Materialization Alice--an alice that enables the wielder to create things out of thin air.**

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**CHAPTER TWO: REALIZATIONS... AND THE DECISION**

Mikan was quietly walking from the infirmary back to the middle school dormitories, still thinking about what Hii-sama told her this afternoon--about Natsume's condition and that mysterious 'method' that needs her Stealing Alice. She replayed the conversation for the nth time in her mind. Among everything that the principal told her, what bothered her most was deciding 'between Natsume's life and their feelings for each other', and it frustrated her more that she didn't even know why the method would be between those two. Of course, whatever happens, she would choose Natsume's life. She can't afford to let him die, especially if according to Hii-sama, there's no other way to save him. But what she couldn't understand was…why would saving Natsume's life put their feelings for each other at risk? No matter how hard she tried thinking about it, she couldn't find a single idea why would that happen.

Mikan, finally giving up, shook her head in frustration and shouted at the top of her lungs. "Don't make me think difficult things!!!" she bellowed.

A hard thunk of metal made her shut up. The hit created a big lump on her head, a size of a golf ball. She didn't have to guess where that came from.

Mikan turned around and just as she expected, Hotaru was standing not a few paces away from her, holding her newly remodeled Baka Gun.

"Hotaru!!! Why did you shoot me?!" Mikan wailed, darting towards her best friend at an incredible speed for a bear hug.

The purple-eyed girl, without moving a muscle, swiftly evaded Mikan's 'hug'—which was more of a tackle to Hotaru—and hid her Baka Gun inside her pocket. The brunette fell face down on the ground, causing a scratch on her nose. Mikan moaned in exasperation.

Hotaru helped her best friend up. "When will you learn that I don't tolerate it when you're being an idiot?"

The brunette pouted and dusted herself. "I wasn't being an idiot."

The inventor's stoic face was hinted with amusement. "Oh, so screaming in the middle of the academy grounds is not being an idiot?"

Mikan wasn't in much of a good mood to cope up with her best friend's teasing, so she made a face and started walking ahead. After a couple of paces, she realized Hotaru was silently following her, so she stopped on her tracks.

Without facing her best friend, Mikan sadly mumbled, "Hotaru, I have a big big problem."

Hotaru strutted closer and laid a hand on the nullifier's shoulder.

"As long as it's not about Math, pregnancy, and petty fights with Hyuuga, you're welcome to tell me anything." Then after a short moment, the purple-eyed genius corrected herself. "Oh, I take back pregnancy. You can talk about that too, would be amusing."

Mikan whined. "I'm not pregnant or whatever, and it's not about Math," she stopped and thought, "—well, I do have problems with Math too," then her face fell, "—but it's not about that. It's something very important…though yeah, it's about Natsume."

Sensing the intensity of the 'problem' in her best friend's voice, Hotaru clicked the remote control of her duck scooter, and held Mikan's hand as soon as the vehicle came floating.

"Come, let's talk about it over a cup of coffee at my lab."

Mikan smiled at her best friend and squeezed her hand to convey her appreciation. She really needed someone wiser to talk to about this...and she was happy to have someone like Hotaru for a best friend.

***

After re-telling the whole incident to Hotaru, the best friends were enveloped with a long, ringing moment of silence. Mikan stared at her coffee like it was the most interesting thing in the world, while the inventor quietly studied the brunette's troubled face while thinking of what to tell her.

"Well, have you decided?" the purple-eyed girl asked, breaking the silence.

The nullifier turned glum and started ranting unenthusiastically. "No… I mean, how can I decide? I don't even know why saving Natsume's life is putting our feelings for at risk—I just don't get it—and I don't even have a single idea how that method works, except that my Stealing Alice is the key. I'm not even sure if my current control in my Stealing Alice is already enough to perform such a difficult-sounding method, and I don't know what Natsume say about this or whatever…I don't know, really, so there's no way I can decide."

Hotaru took a sip on her coffee and crossed her arms over her chest.

"But between Natsume's life and your feelings for each other, which is more important?"

The brunette met Hotaru's eyes with a determined look. "Of course, Natsume's life! What use would our feelings be if he dies anyway…" The determination faltered...and was followed by tears. "But... of course, I... I don't want to lose what we have for each other right now. Especially when difficult times had been over and we're getting along fine like normal dating students would be..."

The inventor cleared her throat. "I see."

Another awkward silence.

Mikan stole a glance at Hotaru, who seemed to be occupied. She didn't dare to disturb her best friend while she was thinking, especially, for her sake. Drying her tears, she sipped her coffee and continued to watch the inventor ponder on the situation. After a few minutes, Hotaru's face lit up as if she had just finished a new invention.

"I think I have ideas about how this 'method' works."

Mikan, upon hearing this, was ecstatic. She knew talking to Hotaru was the right choice. She was about to ask what these 'ideas' were when Hotaru stood up and picked a wireless phone up from her desk.

"I'll tell you later. I just need to confirm something from Narumi."

The brunette was surprised when she heard their former homeroom teacher's name. What does this have to do with Narumi-sensei?

"Nogi. Get Narumi to my laboratory in 10 minutes. And don't enter with him, we have important matter to discuss. I'll talk to you later," Hotaru uttered on the phone over to Ruka, then hanged up.

Mikan couldn't help but feel sorry for Ruka being Hotaru's errand boy ever since the two started dating, but she knew that her best friend just shows her feelings in an extraordinary way. She guessed that now, ever than before, Hotaru depended on Ruka more than she would on her inventions for errands. Which is more of a 'sign of trust' on Ruka, in Mikan's point of view. She smiled at the thought.

Hotaru plopped back onto her chair near the coffee table. She sipped from her coffee cup, and then casually whipped her shoulder-length raven hair back with her right hand.

"I sent Nogi to get Narumi so he'd get embarrassed more with whatever he might see in the fag's place."

The brunette choked on the biscuits she was munching on. She thought about what she was saying about Hotaru and Ruka, then shrugged, _'Or maybe not.'_

***

"Narumi-sensei!" Mikan jumped as soon as she saw the blonde teacher enter Hotaru's laboratory.

The brunette, never-changing, ran and greeted her former teacher with a hug. Narumi casually returned the hug, keeping in mind that he couldn't carry the girl into his arms like before, due to an extremely possessive certain fire-caster—a fact that he learned of the hard way.

Narumi messed Mikan's hair that she now wore down, and laughed. "It's nice to see you, Mikan-chan," he nodded his head at Hotaru's direction, "--you too, Imai-san. How are you both doing?"

"Just fine, Sensei! Come, sit down. I'll get you a cup," Mikan said, cheerfully heading to Hotaru's kitchen as soon as she ushered Narumi to sit down.

While waiting for Mikan, Narumi turned to Hotaru. "Aren't you going to invite Ruka too? He's outside, I think."

The inventor just shrugged. "He's not there anymore. Besides, this is about his best friend. He'll just be drastic or overly worried so might as well not let him know for the meantime."

"Oh. So you called me about Natsume-kun?"

Before Hotaru could speak, Mikan yelled from the kitchen. "Hotaru! Go ahead and tell Narumi-sensei what happened when I met Hii-sama! I'm just gonna make some easy-cook lasagna here, I didn't get to eat something before I left Natsume at the infirmary!"

"Fine. Just don't break something there or you'll have to pay," Hotaru replied.

"Mikan-chan! Where's my cup?" Narumi asked, laughing. The cheeky girl was still forgetful, especially when distracted by food.

"Oh, oh, sorry, Sensei! Coming!" A clatter of cups were heard then Mikan came dashing to the table. "Here. Sorry! I'll be back in a jiffy, okay!" Then the brunette rushed back to the kitchen.

"_Baka,_" Hotaru murmured.

Narumi just smiled and poured coffee into his cup. "So, can you tell me what happened? And why you called me here?"

Hotaru started relaying the conversation that Mikan and Hii-sama had. She was already about to finish when Mikan yelled again from the kitchen.

"Do you guys want to eat too?"

Hotaru scoffed. "No way, I don't want to die."

"I just had dinner at the faculty room before coming, Mikan-chan. Sorry," Narumi-sensei answered, though his face looked shifty.

"Well, fine. I could eat this all up anyway," the brunette said, sounding a bit happier that she can have everything for herself.

Hotaru looked at Narumi. "Anyway, as I was saying, it sounds to me that the principal was serious about this. She asked Mikan to choose between saving Hyuuga's life and their feelings for each other."

Narumi's eyes sparkled with glee. "Feelings between Mikan-chan and Natsume-kun? Like music to the ears."

Hotaru glared the words _'DON'T. YOU. DARE. CHANGE. THE. SUBJECT. INTO. USELESS. GAY. THINGS.' _The teacher shrank from his seat, sweating profusely.

"S-so, well...why does she have to choose between those two?"

Hotaru plopped biscuits into her mouth. "The lesbo principal didn't say. Mikan said that, of course, she would choose Hyuuga's life, but first, we have to know why the method would involve their feelings against Hyuuga's life," Hotaru poured more coffee into her cup, "—and then I remembered you."

Narumi stared at her with questioning eyes. "Me? Why me?"

"Yeah, why Narumi-sensei?" Mikan asked, occupying her seat. She was holding a half-empty plate of lasagna, and was still gobbling the remaining in full speed.

"Shut up while you're eating and just listen, you idiot," Hotaru ordered in displeasure. Mikan did as she was told and continued eating…or more appropriately said, devouring her food.

"Anyway, Imai-san, what was it you were saying?" Narumi asked, completely curious about why she remembered him regarding the matter.

"Well, as you remember, the four of us were taken to a time travel before the Alice War during elementary right? To see Azumi Yuka's past," Hotaru peered at Mikan who was half-paying attention to them, "—and I remember an incident that Azumi Yuka accidentally stole some of your Alice."

Narumi froze at the memory. He still could feel the emptiness he had after that incident. One incident that he would never forget for the rest of his life.

Hotaru continued. "And I believe, your feelings as well. When she accidentally stole your Alice, her strong emotions to refrain you from loving her anymore stole your feelings for her too."

Narumi sighed and stole a glance at Mikan who was finished eating and was pouring coffee into her cup.

"Not just my feelings for her, but my ability to love altogether. Which was ironic, for someone with an Alice related to love like mine." The teacher shook his head. "For more than a decade after that incident, I lived in a constant war between my head and my heart--my mind knew how much I wanted to see her and how much I still loved her... though my heart remained empty of those feelings I 'know'."

Everyone felt silent. Though not soon, a warm hand rested on Narumi's. When he looked up at the owner of the hand, he was greeted with a bright and heart-warming smile from Mikan.

"At least, Sensei, it's now back, all yours now," she said, aware that her mother returned the Alice Stone with Narumi's ability to love, almost two years ago.

Narumi smiled at the daughter of the woman he loved so much. "Thanks, Mikan-chan."

The brunette, taking her hand, subconsciously stared at it and sighed. "It's really difficult to not know the full extent of your own Alice. Mom told me that when your feelings got stolen in that incident, she was sure she felt something different--and just when she realized it, she had to go and leave you without an apology." She stared at the ceiling, reconciling her brief moments with her mother, Yuka. "Despite having trained my Stealing Alice with her, I don't know how much I really know about my Alice. I might end up doing the same thing to other people just like Mom did to you, Narumi-sen---"

Mikan suddenly gasped, her eyes wide with realization. Hotaru paused from eating while Narumi instinctively stood up and rushed to Mikan's side, asking what was wrong.

"OH. MY. GOSH," the nullifier exclaimed, emphasizing every word that came out of her mouth.

"Mikan-chan, what's wrong?" the human pheromone wielder asked, crouching beside Mikan's chair, holding her hand.

Feeling her lips trembling, the brunette took in a deep breath before speaking. "I... I think I remember. I remember now. The 'method'... that Hii-sama said, I think I know now. Mom and I talked about it during a session of my Alice training with her."

The inventor's brows arched while Narumi stared at Mikan intently. Memories of that conversation with her mother flashed into her mind.

_The evening breeze was chilling. Mikan and Yuka were by the window, looking out at the stars, taking a break from Mikan's Alice training.  
_

_The nullifier snuggled close to her mother. "Mom... I suddenly remembered, about Narumi-sensei's Alice Stone_. _Uhm, you know, the one you accidentally--"_

_"Ah, that. What about it?" Yuka asked, encircling an arm around her daughter's shoulder._

_"You're going to return it right?"_

_The mother smiled. "Of course I will. When everything... when this mess is over."_

_"I was really surprised that our Stealing Alice can steal even a person's feelings away. How different did it feel from the usual sensation when using our Alice?" Mikan inquired, peering at Yuka who remained staring at the darkness outside._

_Quietly, her mother ushered her into the center of the room, closing the window behind them. They sat down facing each other across the tea table._

_"I was planning to teach you that soon. And since we're on that topic anyway, I might as well tell you the maximum potential of our Stealing Alice. Then tomorrow, we'll go into practical use."_

_Mikan, suddenly feeling nervous at how her Alice seemed too complicated for her, took a deep breath and set her mind into concentration._

The brunette, recollecting her mother's words, stated aloud for Hotaru and Narumi to hear. She explained one of the most complicated usage of her Stealing Alice--the one that she believed to be the 'method' that Hii-sama was talking about.

"Mom told me, that one of the greatest utilization of the Stealing Alice... is to completely remove someone's Alice. The person's Alice is extracted to the point he couldn't use it ever again, leaving only a tiny spark of the former Alice's essence so that he would be able to live."

Yuka's words echoed in Mikan's head once more.

_"I know the concept sounds crazy or cruel, Mikan. But it's true. During my past 10 years or more of escape, I have used this method a couple of times already, although just in times of emergency. For example, at times when Shiki is not there to put up a strong barrier, and __we get detected or tracked with our Alices, I would usually extract my comrades Alices--well, rather, I 'weaken' it, in order to remain inconspicuous. Then not soon after, I would insert the stones back into them. However, the most painful experience I had with this method is... permanently extracting someone's Alice."_

Mikan sighed. "Mom said she encountered a little girl with the Materialization Alice on the streets on one of her journeys. The girl was already weak from Alice overuse, even though she was just 7 years old. Apparently, her relatives realized she had 'magic', so they used her Alice for a living, for pleasure, and for petty things. When she became sick and unable to wield her Alice much longer, her relatives asked her to materialize a huge amount of money, and then they left her on the streets. My mom took care of the girl for quite a while and they had a very deep attachment, however, Mom knew that the girl's Alice had been eating the girl's life away despite not being used anymore. And she decided..."

_"I decided to extract her Alice away, permanently. I already knew the consequences--that extracting one's Alice erased all memories and feelings that sprang and occurred when the person was aware that he or she had an Alice. Because our Alice is a part of us, holding the same memories and feelings in our mind. However, when the Alice is taken away, the memories and feelings associated with it are all gone--contained inside the Alice Stone. I knew that that little girl, once she opens her eyes, she wouldn't know who am I. And that's what happened. She only knew who she was, her family, but everything after she realized she had an Alice--all of those were gone... It was painful for me but I had to leave her to her new life after that."_

Both Hotaru and Narumi were—in an understatement—astounded. Mikan started to weep as images of Natsume losing his Alice as well as his memories and everything they shared entered her mind. So this was it. The reason why she had to choose between saving Natsume's life and their feelings for each other. It was either she lets him die or she lets him forget her and everything they had together. How cruel. Both choices will leave her losing him…losing the man she loved so much.

Hii-sama's words rang in her head. "_I can only tell you that this method of 'saving' him, I know, will only cause pain and suffering to both of you… especially you, Mikan. Things between you two will drastically change after, and there would be no point of return."_

Mikan buried her face on her hands and continued to sob. It was a lie that she hasn't decided yet. She had decided even before she realized what the method was. It was something she would always choose whenever, whatever the situation and the conditions were. Ever since that day she saved Natsume from killing himself at the AAO headquarters. Ever since she started praying and waiting for him to come back safely after missions. Ever since that day she realized that she would devote her Nullification Alice to protect him. All of those, just to see him alive and well. Because for her, more than anything else, Natsume's life was the most important thing…even if it meant erasing herself from that life.

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**A/N: How was it? Reviews please! Just simple words will certainly fire me up to write! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Gakuen Alice belongs to Tachibana Higuchi.

**A/N: Thank you for everyone so far who added the story to their favorites. I'm silently praying for reviews, so please... :)**

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**CHAPTER THREE: BLITHE DAYS AND HUNCHES**

"Ohayou, Natsume!" Mikan greeted her boyfriend as soon as she entered the infirmary room where Natsume was confined.

To her surprise, the doctor and his nurses were inside, checking developments in Natsume's condition. The three smiled at her when she entered, rendering her embarrassed. She was about to leave the room for them when one of the nurses, after taking off the pipe of the dextrose attached to Natsume, told her that they'll be over soon so she doesn't need to leave. Mikan nodded and sat down the couch. She watched as the doctor instructed the nurse to take off Natsume's shirt for a short stethoscopic check-up. When the nurse did as told, Mikan couldn't help herself but blush and look away.

"Okay, that's it for today, Hyuuga-san. You'll be discharged tomorrow, then just continue your rest back at your room for the next two days, and you will be fine by then," stated the doctor which made Mikan delighted and Natsume sigh in relief. The doctor continued, "I guess having a cute girlfriend to take care of you when you're sick is perfect for your recovery."

Natsume's cheeks were tinted with soft red. "_Baka_," he murmured but audible enough for the doctor to hear.

The doctor chuckled and stood up. The nurses gathered the instruments and left the room, with the doctor in tow—all three giving them both amused—rather, teasing smiles. Mikan turned red in embarrassment. The door had closed for a while already but the two occupants of the room remained silent.

"Oi, Polka, how long are you going to stand there?" a baritone voice broke the silence.

Mikan, aware that the irritated tone in Natsume's voice was because of awkwardness from the doctor and the nurses, ignored his temper and shuffled toward his bed. Seeing that his upper body was still bare, she looked away while handing him his new shirt.

"Put this on," the brunette ordered.

Natsume let out a soft chuckle. "Embarrassed seeing me naked, or jealous after seeing me getting undressed by another girl?"

"_Baka!_ Just get this shirt and put it on," Mikan insisted, careful not to look his way. She was still red with embarrassment and the crimson-eyed boyfriend of hers really knew how to make things worse.

She felt him take the shirt from her hand. She waited for a few minutes before turning around to see him. At the moment she turned, she was startled—to bump her face on Natsume's chest. Natsume being seven inches taller than her made her look like a child in a father's arms. She didn't mind of course, yet the proximity and the surprise made her heart thump faster.

Mikan, finding her tongue working again, muttered, "W-what are you—"

Instead of answering, Natsume pulled her into a tight embrace. The brunette, giving up the protest, returned the gesture and hugged her boyfriend close. It was the first embrace they had ever since Natsume was confined, and she admitted…she missed having herself in his arms. She felt safe, as if all her worries were gone in an instant. Natsume planted a soft kiss on her hair then released her.

"I'm relieved I was wrong," the flame-caster mumbled, looking straight into Mikan's hazel eyes.

She saw the truth of those words in his crimson orbs, though she didn't understand what he meant. His usually cold demeanor wavered, showing his tender side that he only shows to no one else but her.

"It bugged me…all through last night," Natsume whispered, as if fearing someone would hear his vulnerable words. He continued, "—I thought you…don't love me anymore."

He continued to stare earnestly at her face, waiting for her to say something.

Her face flushed as the words sinked in. "W-what? Why would you think that, Natsume _no baka_?"

He frowned. "Because you were odd yesterday. It's your fault, idiot."

"Hey! I said don't worry about me, right?"

Natsume's gave her _the look_. "How could I not? First, you were acting strange… and lying. When confronted, you completely became silent and avoided the topic. Then you lie again about having your period, goes off leaving me, then suddenly stops to come back and kiss me," he sighed, looking annoyed at himself for sounding like a nagging wife, but continued, "—Somehow, last night, random thoughts just entered… that you're… leaving me."

She was stupefied at his misunderstanding. Though she could understand why he must've thought that way, she still couldn't help but find the misinterpretation funny…and at the same time, heart-warming. Mikan knew the issue must have been pesking Natsume's head for the whole time, making him talk about it openly like this.

She pulled him close and embraced him once more. Unable to suppress the amusement about his behaviour, she let out a soft giggle.

"_Baka_. I'm still in love you. And whatever happens, I don't think that'll change," Mikan paused and broke away to look directly at his crimson orbs, "--so stop thinking stupid thoughts that are so not like you."

Natsume showed her a gentle smile—one rare smile that never failed to make her heart swell with a million of emotions. He fondly worked his finger over to lift her chin up, carefully inched his face closer to her, his lips locking with hers. Mikan hypnotically closed her eyes, savoring the moment—his breath fanning softly on her face, his thin soft lips encompassing hers, dancing in their own sweet rhythm. She wondered why, despite the increase in frequency of them kissing like this in the past months, the emotion and enchantment within the action never ceased, never changed. It never failed to amaze her, how so much can be conveyed in a simple lock of lips.

Feeling the 'rhythm' end on its own, she slowly pulled away from him. The heat that crept up through Mikan's face was still evident so on instinct, she turned away from his gaze.

She felt Natsume's hands intertwining with hers. The flame-caster sighed in deep thought. When their eyes met, Mikan felt a gentle squeeze on her hand—as if saying 'hey, listen'. He spoke.

"Me too. I think, if by any chance I suddenly lose my memories, I know I will still love you. I don't know why, I just feel I will do."

Mikan's eyes widened at what he said. '_He will still love me even if he loses his memories?'_ She stared at him. Hazel orbs met crimson. She saw nothing else but the glaring truth of his words. Mikan suddenly felt a lump in her throat.

"A-are you sure?" she asked, afraid, but hopeful.

"Yeah, so if that happens, don't give up on me," Natsume said, following his line with a wink.

She bit her lip, touched by his words. She felt as if he had the idea something was going to happen between them, and here he was, indirectly telling her what to do. She tried her best to suppress her tears, but the relief that flooded over her was so strong that she wasn't able to endure it. She clutched Natsume's shirt and started crying, while he pulled her close and planted soft kisses on her hair.

After a while, Natsume chuckled softly, while running his fingers through Mikan's hair. The latter was still crying and the flame-caster found it stupidly funny…that his idiot would cry so much for an extremely obvious statement.

"Crybaby."

Mikan retorted after a sob. "Smooth talker."

"Insecure."

"Emo."

He chuckled again at that. "Look who's talking."

"You're insecure too, _baka_. Suddenly thinking I don't love you anymore…"

Natsume chuckled, pulled Mikan away from him and looked at her in the eyes. He gently wiped her tears away.

"I only wanted to hear you say you love me, _baka_," he said, the amused smirk back on his face.

Mikan playfully smacked him at the arm and smiled, knowing he was just trying to sound cool after what happened. It was so Natsume. "Don't try to be cool since I already know every single uncool part of you, stupid," she said, sticking her tongue out. She let go of Natsume's hold and walked to her back at the couch and rummaged her belongings. "I made some bento, let's eat?"

He smirked. "Nothing in there that'll get me hospitalized for another set of days? I'm sick of it here."

"You're mean!" she pouted, carrying the bento boxes and holding them in front of Natsume's face. "I've improved in cooking, because in case you didn't know, I practice every night ever since I got into my three-star room where I have my own kitchen."

"Well, I can be your poison tester for today," Natsume teased, circling his arm around Mikan's waist and ushering her near the small coffee table in front of the couch.

Mikan protested, kicking him softly on the foot; while the raven-haired guy tickled her at the side for revenge. Their bantering continued…as usual.

***

Mikan was peeling apples for Natsume when a knock at the door was heard. She looked at Natsume who was busy reading manga, so she put down the peeler and walked to the door to see who was there. Familiar faces dawned on the brunette.

The distinct cheerful voice of Narumi-sensei filled the room. "Hi, Mikan-chan!"

"Narumi-sensei!" Mikan exclaimed with glee. She was about to rush at him for a bear hug when she noticed two pairs of orbs staring at her—cerulean and purple. Totally forgetting about Narumi, she squeaked in delight, "Hotaru! Ruka-pyon! Come in!"

She cheerfully held Hotaru's arm while ushering the visitors inside. When she saw Natsume recognize the visitors, she swore she just saw his face turn grim after seeing Narumi and Hotaru. His distaste for the two persons close to Mikan never changed.

"They came to visit you, Natsume," Mikan announced the obvious. The fire-caster just scoffed.

Hotaru, looking around the room and seeing Natsume without a dextrose, huffed an annoyed sigh.

"You look perfectly fine. What a waste of time."

Ruka, apparently scandalized by her words, wasn't able to help himself but 'scold' her in his own subtle manner. He whined, "I-Imai—"

"What, Nogi, you have something to say?" the purple-eyed girl, eyes twitching with threat, glared at Ruka. The animal pheromone wielder chose to shut up.

Narumi chuckled and patted Ruka's head. He walked over to the chair beside Natsume's bed, but before he could sit, the fire-caster glared daggers at him. The teacher just sweat-dropped at the unstated threat.

Ruka, who had winded his way to his best friend, spoke. "Natsume, how are you feeling?"

"As you see, just fine," Natsume replied, putting away his manga.

Mikan then came over holding a plate of sliced apples. "He's going to be discharged tomorrow," she handed the plate to Natsume, "—and the doctor said after two days of home rest, he'll be fine."

Ruka sighed in relief. "That's good to hear," he faced Mikan and smiled, "—thank you for looking after Natsume, Sakura-san."

Mikan laughed in embarrassment and sat beside Natsume, who was not paying attention and eating apples, at the bed. "Of course, Ruka-pyon, no problem about that."

"Hyuuga's just pretending to be sick to get pampered by the idiot, so there's no use staying here. Let's go, Nogi," Hotaru mumbled while staring outside from the window.

Ruka and Mikan chorused on shouting her name, while Narumi laughed, and Natsume boring holes at the back of the inventor.

"Well, actually, I came to get Mikan-chan, Natsume-kun," Narumi said, shortly after Hotaru decided to wait a little longer.

The crimson-eyed guy gave him a cold questioning glare, though Mikan voiced the question out. "Why, Sensei? You need something from me?"

Narumi, nervously averting from Natsume's glower, looked at the brunette. "Well, you see…"

A shot from Hotaru's Baka Gun echoed through the room. All heads spun to her direction… except Narumi who was shot squarely in the head.

"The idiot skipped extra-curricular activities today to visit you, Hyuuga, so she's having detention until 5 this afternoon," Hotaru crossed her arms and glared at Mikan, "—She probably thought there was nothing going on at school since its Saturday."

Mikan protested. "B-but, I was sure there wasn't—" *_Hotaru's glare* _"—I didn't hear that—" _*Hotaru's glowering threat*_ "—O-okay, okay, yeah, I wasn't paying attention during class, sorry!"

Ruka just sweat-dropped, while Narumi silently massaged the lump on his head. Hotaru humphed and returned to staring outside.

Natsume eyed Mikan and gave her a soft knuckle on the head. "Idiot."

The brunette faked tears and pouted. "B-but—"

"Go with this fag here and just come back after," the fire-caster grumbled.

Narumi was about to protest at the reference _'fag' _when Natsume glared at him, causing him to shut up.

Mikan held her boyfriend's face and tilted it to her direction. "A-are you sure you'll be fine?" she inquired.

Natsume, embarrassed, yanked away from her. "Yeah, just go. I'm planning to take a nap anyway."

"You heard that? Let's go," Hotaru voiced, preparing to leave the room.

Ruka looked at Natsume, asking if he would be really fine alone, and when the raven-haired lad nodded, he waved goodbye to his best friend and followed Hotaru out of the room. Narumi followed the tow too, telling Mikan he would be waiting for her outside the infirmary. Mikan smiled and said she'll be there quick.

When the room left them alone, Mikan stood up from her place beside Natsume and stretched her arms.

"I'll be back as soon as it's finished," the brunette said, handing Natsume a pillow kicked off the bed.

He grabbed the pillow and just nodded in response. He observed his girlfriend as she faced the mirror near his side table and combed her hair.

"Mikan," he called out.

The nullifier stopped and faced him. "Yes?"

He looked at her earnestly. "Wake me up when you've come back."

Mikan smiled and took him into her arms. "I will." She planted a kiss on his head and ushered him to lay down. "Now get some sleep and I'll be getting ready for…ugh, detention. How annoying."

Natsume smirked and lied down his bed. He continued to follow Mikan with his eyes until she finished arranging everything and picked up her bag to leave. At the door, she waved at him and muttered 'I love you' before heading outside.

He closed his eyes as the door closed. _'Something's certainly strange. They're keeping something from me,"_ he thought to himself. Ignoring it for the meantime, he yawned and decided to get some sleep. He will get answers from Mikan when she comes back…definitely.

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**A/N: Sorry if the story's going on a slow pace. I actually intended this to be a two-shot but I find it more fun to write if I elaborate on some things more. :) And I was too caught up with the 'romantic'/'carefree' mood between Natsume and Mikan after I read GA Chapter 120, thus the mood for this chapter :p Anyway, hit the review button please! ^_^**


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Gakuen Alice belongs to Higuchi Tachibana.

**A/N: Thanks for those who reviewed and who favorited the story. I'm still focusing on Mikan's dilemma and feelings about the matter, so don't worry, I'll be putting their friends' insights too...soon :) Hmm... so I'll stop blabbering, go on and read. ^^**

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**CHAPTER FOUR: DETERMINATION...AND FACADES  
**

Mikan wailed in alarm. "Eh? I'm having detention at the principal's office?! What?"

The brunette and Narumi-sensei were treading the route down to the Hanahime Den after they separated ways with Hotaru and Ruka near the dormitories. The inventor told her that she'll be relaying Natsume's Alice Extraction issue to Ruka while Narumi goes with Mikan.

Narumi cackled, patting Mikan's head. "No, of course not. You really aren't having detention, it was just Hotaru's excuse so Natsume wouldn't get suspicious." _Though I guess, he is,_ thought Narumi.

"Oh." The nullifier's face fell, finally getting where they were heading. "So, I was summoned by Hii-sama, right?" She sighed. "To talk about Natsume's…" she wasn't able to finish her sentence, extremely saddened by the thought.

The teacher sympathetically squeezed Mikan's shoulder. "Be strong, Mikan-chan. For Natsume's sake."

She looked up to see the face of the man who stood by her all through everything since she entered Alice Academy—the man whom she considered her second father. He was right—she needs to be strong for Natsume. This time around, she will be the one to save him. He had always put his life on the line to save her, now it's her chance to repay him for everything he has done for her. She needs to be strong. Because she's the only one who can save his life, and she had no right to hesitate.

***

"Nice to see you again, Mikan," greeted the middle school principal as soon as she and Narumi-sensei entered the hall. The lady, clad in silky purple kimono treaded with intricate gold linings, locked Mikan into place with her emerald eyes. She had the unwavering, piercing atmosphere around her, as usual.

The brunette felt terrible uneasiness, sweat trickling on her forehead. "Y-yes, Hii-sama. I-it's nice to…see you again." _Nice, like hell, _Mikan thought.

"You're scaring my niece, m'lady. Why don't you let her sit first?" a deep male voice filled the room…a voice so familiar that Mikan would never forget whom it belongs to. A voice she always wondered could have been the same as her father had.

"Uncle!" she exclaimed, dashing towards Yukihira Kazu, the high school principal, and her father's elder brother.

The gorgeous man with seemingly disarrayed blond hair gently smiled as his niece gave him a tight hug.

"How are you doing, Mikan?" Principal Kazu asked, shuffling the brunette's hair. Mikan giggled and pulled away from her uncle.

"Hmm, just fine, I guess. Well…" she paused, looking around the hall. Her eyes met the silent gazes of the new elementary school principal—Ichinose Yuujirou, Hii-sama, Narumi-sensei, and the new Dangerous Ability Class adviser—Demi. The anxious feeling back, Mikan looked up at her uncle. "I guess… we have something important to talk about, right?"

Principal Yukihira gave her a soft smile and ushered her to a seat between him and Narumi-sensei. Mikan had already been introduced to everyone present in the hall before, during the inauguration of Principal Ichinose after the Alice War; while she met Demi when she was transferred into the DA class. The man had an unapproachable and silent demeanor like Persona, however, Demi was someone who greatly cared for the welfare of his students in the DA class. Mikan personally liked the man—he had taught her much about both of her Alices.

When everyone was seated, Mikan looked at each and every one of the officials of Alice Academy, feeling very intimated about being the only student present—a normal middle student, for that matter. However, when her eyes met each person's stare, they acknowledged her with a nod—making her sigh in relief.

"Anyway, let's start," Principal Yukihira stated, looking at everyone with a serious bearing.

Narumi cleared his throat and started explaining the 'method' according to what Mikan relayed the night before. Occasionally, Hii-sama and the others raised questions, while Mikan struggled to give them answers to the best of her knowledge. After Narumi-sensei's explanation, Hii-sama commented that it was the same as what Yuka had told her in one of their conversations, and she believed that with the current situation of Natsume, it would be best to perform the extraction as soon as possible. Mikan's heartbeat stopped for a moment at this.

"I… I don't know if I can do it…" Mikan mumbled, but enough for everyone to hear. "W-we really can't just decide on doing the extraction without even letting Natsume know about this. And I don't know… I think he would be against it too, I'm not really sure about this…"

Principal Ichinose spoke. "Of course we're not doing this without Natsume Hyuuga's consent, but of course, everyone of us here believes that this is better than letting him die, don't you think so, Sakura-san?"

Demi, in a low voice, continued. "As the adviser of the DA class, despite his missions all in all being halted, I never looked at Hyuuga as a useless member of the group. As a former student of Persona myself, I am aware how much the Black Cat had suffered under his command. Sad to say, but the current condition of Hyuuga had been brought upon by the reckless era of the DA class and the missions, so whether who's to blame or what, I feel I have some responsibility regarding his matter." He paused, looking Mikan in the eye. "And I would gladly repay his hard work by allowing him his free reign…outside the academy, back to his family, and live a normal life."

Mikan teared up at her DA class adviser's words. Demi was right. Who was she to deny Natsume of having a normal life back with his family? She knew that before, Natsume's true objective to enter the school was to find Aoi and bring her back. Aoi had been rescued and sent back to their father, but Natsume chose to remain for Mikan's sake—so who was she to be selfish and keep him here when he could have his peaceful life back?

The brunette felt a tender caress on her back, comforting her. She wiped her tears away to see Narumi-sensei, smiling at her.

"Mikan-chan, truly loving someone is accepting what could really make him happy," he said, his words full of meaning behind it. Mikan knew. Narumi-sensei, no matter how much he loved Yuka, he accepted that she would be happy with Yuki-sensei, that's why despite his feelings, he chose to be happy for her.

Principal Kazu cleared his throat. "From what I could see with my Alice Detection, Natsume Hyuuga's lifespan has already been long used as fuel of his Alice, and according to the infirmary, his body may temporarily recover from the strain of his Alice eating his lifespan away time after time, but overall, it appears…" he paused, shooting a weary look at Mikan who was staring at him anxiously, "—that he's nearing the final stage."

The brunette's eyes widened, her brows creased with worry. "W-what final stage? Uncle—eh, Principal, what do they mean final stage?" she asked, fear lacing her words.

Before Kazu could open his mouth, Hii-sama answered Mikan. "When Alices of the fourth type reach the final stage, the damage caused by their Alice become permanent on their bodies. As Alices, we have our own regenerating system, which is why we could recuperate faster than normal humans. The major function of this system is to sustain our bodies with energy that we normally use up when we use our Alices." The lady peered at Mikan, ensuring she was listening…and was satisfied that she was eagerly waiting for the continuation. "However, each time we—especially the Alices of the fourth type—go beyond the 'normal' or 'prescribed' usage of the Alice, that's when the damage starts to affect our bodies. If this continues, the amount of damage on the body piles up, and that's when it comes to the final stage."

Mikan felt her hands go cold. Her feelings were all entangled—it was like listening to a doctor after a check-up, telling you or someone close to you had some fatal disease. "S-so…what happens when Natsume… enters the final stage?"

"Usually…the person dies," Demi answered in a quiet voice. The brunette expected the answer, yet she felt like her heart was squeezed by a large hand at the thought of Natsume dying. She felt her energy draining, she couldn't even raise her head up to meet the worried glances of the people around her. She curled her fists into a ball, desperately trying to not cry and focus back into the conversation.

But then she felt a warm hand enclosing hers. She slowly looked up…and saw Narumi-sensei's affectionate smile.

"He won't die, Mikan-chan. He won't," the teacher murmured to her, squeezing her hand tight. Tears started to form in her eyes, but the next thing that Narumi-sensei said stopped them from falling. "Mikan-chan, that's why you would do it, right? Take away Natsume-kun's Alice, and save his life by doing so."

Mikan whipped her head sideways, giving her uncle a confused look. "B-but the final stage you were saying…"

Kazu patted her head. "That's why we have brought up the method of extracting his Alice, right? Before his condition gets into the final stage, the method must be done, so that the damage wouldn't retain on him after the extraction." Her uncle gave her a reassuring smile. "I know it would be difficult for you, but you're the only one who can do that, Mikan. The only one who could save his life."

Mikan felt a stab in her heart at the words. They were right, no one else could do it except her… because her mother, Yuka, had already passed away. Her mother was one of the many casualties of the Alice War. And now she was the only one left with the rare Stealing Alice, the only one left with the knowledge of the method. And with no other methods left to save Natsume's life, she had no choice but to do this. _No choice…but to take away everything he is right now too. No choice… but to make him an ordinary boy—no Alice, no memories of the past years he had been here…nothing, _she thought bitterly, as tears flowed from her eyes. But it would be the best for him. No Alice to eat his life away, no harsh memories of the missions and Persona…

Hii-sama's voice filled the awfully silent hall. "You've decided about this already, right, Mikan? Like I told you when we met yesterday—"

Yes, she had already decided, and she didn't dare listen to her heart anymore. This is the best for Natsume, and she didn't want to be selfish…because she loved him more than anything.

Mikan looked at everyone with determination-filled hazel orbs. "I'll do it." _For his sake, _she added to herself.

The officials of Alice Academy each gave their looks of appreciation…and admiration for her sacrifice. Everyone in the whole campus, literally _everyone_, knew about the special bond between Mikan Sakura and Natsume Hyuuga. Their relationship was one of the good things that always remind people in the academy that living inside the institution wasn't so bad at all. It was as if every student with diminishing hopes, when reminded of Mikan and Natsume, would be secretly hoping that one day, someone would become their flame of hope through the inevitable sadness inside the academy. The determination and courage that Mikan showed just proved how deep their bond was.

The brunette slowly stood from her seat, interrupting everyone of their own thoughts.

"I… think I need to go now," Mikan said, her voice quivering. "I have one request from all of you though…" she added, her fists curling into a ball once more, fighting the lump forming in her throat.

"What would that be, Mikan-chan?" Narumi-sensei asked. He was worried about the girl, she was clearly fighting her own tears, and he struggled to refrain himself from gathering the brunette to his arms and comfort her. She was still a fragile girl after all.

"Please don't make me break this matter to Natsume… And when you talk to him about it…" Mikan paused, taking a deep breath, "—I don't wish to be present."

Principal Kazu gave her a knowing smile. "Of course, Mikan. We don't want to make things harder for you. I will personally talk to Natsume Hyuuga tomorrow, after his release from the hospital."

Mikan nodded and mouthed a soft 'thanks' before gathering her things and started running out of the room. Narumi wanted to follow her when Principal Kazu stopped him with a _let-her-be-for-the-meantime­-_look. The teacher backed down and let out a sigh.

***

The brunette had been standing outside the infirmary for almost two hours now. She was getting hungry and cold, but she couldn't move from the spot where she was standing. She had been debating all along with herself if she should enter or not—if she should see Natsume or not. She promised she would be back after the 'detention' and would wake him up, and she needed to make sure her boyfriend would be eating dinner too…but she just couldn't face him like this. Not like this. Not like when she felt she would cry as soon as she saw him.

Tears started to form again on the corner of Mikan's eyes. She silently cursed at her tears for not stopping, for not listening to her that she wanted to see Natsume but she didn't to cry in front of him and make him worry. But it was no use, she couldn't see him right now. She wiped her tears with her palms and turned around, facing the opposite direction from the infirmary.

The moment she took her hands off her eyes, she came face-to-face with a big-mouthed creepy-looking ghost.

Mikan being Mikan…_should've _shouted at the top of her lungs at the moment her eyes landed on the huge apparition. But today, it was different. Instead of screaming, Mikan stared—_stared without any hint of expression_—at the ghost.

"Oh, there's a ghost," the brunette murmured, still staring at the white misty thing that was floating in front of her face.

After a few seconds, she ignored it and walked past it. Soon after, the ghost disappeared, while a gray-haired little boy with olive orbs walked out of the bush from the sidewalk. While walking, he transformed himself into a 14 year old guy—his features grim and his eyes focused on no one else but her.

"You-chan," Mikan acknowledged him in a soft, dead voice. Her heart felt a tinge of pain as the boy reminded him so much of Natsume…whom she decided to not see again for tonight.

As soon as the guy reached the brunette, he stared—err, rather, _glared_—at her, as if scrutinizing her face closely.

"You're not a fake. You're Mikan-nee," Youichi stated, peering at her. "—but you're weird_er than usual_."

When Mikan didn't retort or even react, the gray-haired lad suddenly embraced her. "Mikan-nee, is there something wrong?" he whispered.

The brunette, suddenly feeling familiar comfort at the arms of a very close friend, started crying once more. _God knows she needed this. _She clutched Youichi's shirt like it was her lifeline, as she sobbed her pain and worries away. As she did so, Youichi just hugged her tighter, letting her cry as much as she needed. He was worried… and bothered by the unusual state of his usually bright and cheerful _onee-chan. _He didn't like seeing her cry, _he didn't like it one bit_, but he restrained himself from asking questions. That would come later.

***

"Sorry, You-chan… for suddenly bursting in tears like that," Mikan mumbled, her eyes on the lemon tea can in her hand.

"No big deal," Youichi answered, his olive orbs still intent on the sad face of his _oneechan_.

The brunette sighed, then gulped her drink once again. Youichi noticed she'd been gripping the can harder than someone would normally do, the can was starting to have dents—and she was completely unaware about it. _There's something definitely bothering her_, he thought. He debated whether he should ask or not.

To his surprise, Mikan suddenly stood up from the bench they were sitting at, and slung her bag on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, You-chan… I know you have plenty of questions but I don't think I could answer them. For now, at least," she looked at him, and smiled—a _sad smile_. "B-but… can I ask a favor?" she continued, the anxious look on her face back.

A favor? He sighed, still bothered by her actions. "What's that?"

Mikan looked at the direction of the infirmary, her eyes sad. "Can you go see Natsume in the infirmary for me? He's napping since this afternoon, and he asked me to wake him up when I return from… from detention, but I can't see him, so could you please go? And make him eat dinner too… and—" she sighed, bit her lip, and sighed again, "—and can you tell him I didn't make it tonight because I had some urgent… uh… urgent mission, yeah. So tell him I'll be back tomorrow evening, and I'll be at my room."

Youichi stood up and faced her. "You're telling me to _lie_ to Nii-chan," he said accusingly. She was _lying _like it was the most normal thing to do, and he didn't like her lying like that at all. Seeing her hurting people during missions was one thing already, but this--lying... and on top of that, lying to Natsume-nii? _What in the name of Satan--_

The brunette averted her guilt-streak eyes. "You-chan, I wish… I didn't have to," she answered, her words full with different meanings.

The gray-haired guy held her on the shoulders and made her look at him in the eye. He had to make sure.

"You're not doing anything that would hurt Nii-chan, aren't you?"

Mikan stared into his olive pools, drowned by the sincerity and love that the boy had for his 'hero'. She smiled—this time, a heartfelt one.

"I won't ever hurt Natsume, You-chan," she assured him in a warm voice, "—I'm… _saving _him."

He didn't quite understand what she meant by 'saving', but he felt in his heart that his _onee-chan_ was telling the truth. He nodded and let go of her. She gave her one last simple smile and started to walk away from him, heading back to the dormitories.

As the silhouette of the brunette disappeared from his view, Youichi turned around and headed for the infirmary.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the absence of NxM moment, but did the YxM suffice for the meantime? :p Anyway, reviews please! ^_^**


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Gakuen Alice belongs to Tachibana Higuchi.

**A/N: Here's the awaited NxM encounter. Enjoy.**

* * *

**CHAPTER FIVE: TRUST AND HARMONY**

Feeling the warm sunlight on her face and hearing the constant chirping of the sparrows outside her window, Mikan was awakened from her slumber. As she slowly opened her eyes, the light coming through the curtains made her squint—her eyes were burning. She covered her eyes with her right arm, tempted to return to sleep, but failed when she felt a painful throb in her temples.

"O-ow…" she grumbled, slowly kicking off her comforter to get up from her bed. She pressed her thumb and pointer on each of her temples, applied pressure and massaged it. _Terrible headache, _she thought as she shuffled from her bed to the bathroom.

When the brunette reached the sink, she stopped to stare at herself at the mirror. She wasn't surprised when she saw her puffy, sore eyes and the circles around them. She sighed as she grabbed moisturized tissues from the nearby toiletries' box and softly applied them around her eyes. _I hope I've already cried my tear ducts out last night, _she thought to herself as the cold sensation from the tissues reduced the burning of her eyes and lifted a bit of the throbbing pain in her head. Feeling satisfied, she threw the sheets away, proceeding to brush her teeth. As she looked at herself in the mirror, she braced herself and chanted, _I need to be strong. I have to stick to my decision…for Natsume._

As she went about her morning routine, she thought about hiding at Hotaru's laboratory for the whole day, before nightfall comes. She pretty much guessed Natsume would come looking for her tonight, most probably to talk about his Alice extraction. Because she let Youichi tell Natsume last night that she would be out on a 'mission' until later tonight, she can't be seen around. Good thing it was a Sunday.

_He'll be angry for sure… he'll probably think I don't care at all about him losing memories, _Mikan thought to herself, feeling nervous about the anticipated encounter tonight. She really wouldn't know what to answer him if he starts asking those kind of questions… since she, herself, wasn't _that_ stable yet regarding her decision. Of course she wouldn't change it, it's just that…everything was theoretical. In her mind, she could say she could do it, she will be okay if Natsume forgets and leaves the academy… but if she starts considering the reality of it all, her determination crumbles easily.

She put her hair dryer down the table and brushed her nearly-waist length brunette hair. Soon after, she heard soft knocks on her door. She froze. Her eyes swiftly searched for the clock—it said 9:30 am. By this time, Natsume's discharge from the hospital should be occurring now. Her eyes widened. _No, he must've gone here first to check on me, oh no, wait, he couldn't see me, he'll know I'm lying, waah, what should I do—_

"Sakura? It's Ruka," said the voice from the other side of the door. Mikan sighed in relief, but was cut short when Ruka continued. "I'm here with—"

Panic raced through the brunette's head. _Oh no, oh no, he's with Natsume! I'm done for!_

"—Youichi," finished Ruka. Mikan's anxiety was drowned with relief when she heard it was not Natsume out there with Ruka. She silently laughed at herself for being too nervous. _Maybe the effect of four hours sleep, _she murmured as she strode to the door and carefully opened it.

When her hazel orbs met cerulean and olive ones, she smiled her best and greeted them.

"Good morning Ruka-pyon, You-chan!"

Both guys didn't answer—Ruka was gaping with shock while You-chan looked half-concerned and half-annoyed.

"W-what—" asked Mikan, confused by the boys' reactions. She looked at her clothes to ensure she wasn't being stupid and had them on, and yes—she had, to her relief.

"You look awful," answered You-chan, not taking his eyes off his _onee-chan_'s face.

Ruka had apparently recovered from his shock already, planted a hand on Mikan's shoulder. "And y-you're so pale. What… what happened?"

Finally understanding what they meant, she faked a laugh while scratching her head. "W-well, last night was… rough, I—couldn't sleep at all. B-but it's okay, really, I'll just grab a hearty meal after and I'll be alright," she said. She stepped away from the doorway, ushering the two in and closed the door.

The guys continued watching her as she walked to her study chair, missing a few steps and almost tripping. _She looks completely out of it, _Ruka and Youichi simultaneously thought.

Finally sitting down, Mikan faced the two. "So… what brings you here this early?"

Youichi walked over to her couch and plopped down. "About Nii-chan… I heard—from Hotaru-nee and Ruka-nii..."

Mikan looked at Ruka, who nodded. "Hotaru told me everything about it yesterday when you went to the Hanahime Den."

Silence.

Both men continued to gaze at the brunette while the latter stared absent-mindedly at the wall of her three-star bedroom.

"What do you think?" asked Mikan in a soft voice after quite a while.

Ruka didn't get it. "What do you mean—"

She looked at them straight in the eye. "About me taking away Natsume's Alice… and his memories as well."

The animal lover fidgeted, while the gray-haired lad stared at her back. But no one answered.

Mikan stood up, strutted over to the window, and looked outside. "I know this just doesn't affect me, I mean… he'll forget everyone, _all of us_ here in the academy. And I couldn't just say that this would only hurt me, because I know _everyone_ who knows Natsume…has a special place for him in their hearts." She faced them with a sad smile. "Ruka-pyon, you have known him more than I do, and you've been through a lot together, and I know how important he is to you. You-chan too… Natsume had served as your father figure all along, and I know how much you look up to him. _Everyone_… everyone will be hurt when Natsume goes… when he loses his memories."

She felt the familiar painful lump on her throat again, but she calmed it down by taking deep breaths. _I must get used to this, or else I'll falter and cry again…especially when I see Natsume later, _she thought.

"Sakura…" Ruka called on to her, apparently feeling that Mikan would start crying soon. But she didn't. She put on a serious face.

"You may call me selfish… for deciding that I'd carry on the extraction, but—I know you'd agree with me on this," she paused, taking a deep breath. "All of us who love him… wouldn't want Natsume to die. He might forget about us, but he would be alive. That's what's important, right?" Her voice broke at the final word, but there were no trace of tears in her eyes.

Ruka, overwhelmed by Mikan's show of strength, managed to give out a sincere nod and a smile. Yes, he would be hurt if Natsume forgets about everything between them, but he would gladly sacrifice that for him to stay alive. And he knew that among everyone else, the one who will be hurt the most…is Mikan. If Mikan, despite the pain she'll be facing, was this strong—then he would be strong too, for Natsume's sake.

"Don't worry Mikan-nee… you're not selfish at all. When it comes to Nii-chan, you're the most _selfless_ person I know," Youichi told her, giving her a timid smile—one very similar to Natsume.

Mikan mouthed 'thanks' and faced the window once more. She was glad they understood.

***

Mikan was heading towards Hotaru's laboratory in a brisk pace. The sun was too bright… she would've loved it, but with the continuous throbbing of her head, she felt she would faint anytime if she stayed under the sun.

Ruka and Youichi went to the infirmary to help Natsume on his discharge from the infirmary. She told them she would be staying at Hotaru's for the rest of the day. She explained that the High School Principal would be talking to Natsume later in the afternoon about the Alice extraction, and she expected Natsume would come looking for her as soon as the talk is over. Youichi encouraged her to do so, saying that his Nii-chan wasn't too pleased last night at the idea that she went off to a 'mission' without stopping by to tell him…and judging that the extraction issue would be talked over today, he would surely dash off to see her. Ruka advised her to get some sleep at the lab to cure her headache, since as far as he could tell, Natsume might be enraged and hard to convince when she'd see him tonight.

Even the mere thought burned Mikan out. She had no doubt that Natsume would be fuming in anger when he sees her. She sighed. _Things are getting harder and harder for me,_ she thought to herself.

As Mikan approached the huge compound of mid-scale buildings proximal to the High School dormitories, she looked for the familiar gate-less white and unadorned construction that was Hotaru's laboratory. The inventor best friend of hers hated being disturbed in her laboratory so she had devised a contraption that would receive only invited guests—and let them in through the window.

When she reached the building, she fished out a cellular phone—courtesy of Hotaru—from her pocket and called her best friend. Of course, Hotaru Imai doesn't give out something without a reason. It's sole purpose was to call during visits and emergencies. If used for petty things, it would self-destruct. She laughed at the idea.

After three rings, her best friend's voice came from the other line. "Mikan."

"Hotaru, I'm—" she was cut off by the one on the other line. "I know. The lift is on its way," Hotaru said in her usual emotionless voice. The line was cut soon after.

Mikan looked up from her spot only to see a fast-falling contraption heading her way. Seeing she'd be killed if she didn't move, she instinctively dove to the ground and rolled herself away from the lift. The machine stopped a few inches from the ground—a space where a standing human could fit—before completely dropping to the surface with a thud. Her best friend's ways never failed to struck her dumb.

She got up from the ground and walked over to the lift to ride. As soon as she stepped both her feet on it, the contraption started to move and shot back up in an incredible acceleration. Mikan screamed in fear of the height and speed. "Hotaruuuuuu, you idiot!!!"

The lift skidded into a halt in front of a wide window where the inventor, holding a remote control, stood waiting for her equipped with her usual stoic face. Mikan, still clinging for dear life on one of the lift's pillars, stared at Hotaru…flabbergasted.

"Hurry, or I'll send you back down," the raven-haired girl said, looking at the brunette with amused eyes.

Mikan, recovering from the shock, wailed at her best friend. "You didn't have to make the lift go up so fast like that! I almost died!"

The inventor, smiling timidly in amusement, led out a hand for the nullifier to hold on. "Come now, the food's waiting. I'm hungry."

Seeing Hotaru smile made Mikan forget about the issue at hand. She gleefully grabbed onto her best friend's hand and jumped off from the lift. Landing successfully on the floor of the building, the brunette delightfully clung on Hotaru's arm as both girls walked further to the interior of the construction to have lunch together.

***

Natsume was stuck speechless with what he just heard. _There was no way in hell he would—_

"Please understand, Hyuuga-kun. We only want what's best for you… Sakura-san wishes the best for you too, that's why she agreed to do it," said Principal Kazu in a convincing tone. He wanted the boy to understand and give his consent regarding the matter as soon as possible. The flame-caster didn't deserve to suffer from his condition any longer.

A cascade of feelings of exasperation, consternation and astonishment drowned Natsume's entire system. _Mikan agreed to this?, _he thought to himself, still couldn't bring himself to believe it. His girlfriend agreed to something that would clearly break them apart?

He clenched his jaws and curled his fists into a ball. He needed to talk to her. _Now._

"I'm sorry, Sir…but I have to talk to Mi—uh, to Sakura about this," he stated, his voice grim.

Before Principal Kazu could say anything, the raven-haired lad had already stalked away from his office. He silently watched the boy's back as he heaved a sigh.

_I'm sorry, Mikan. Looks like you'll have to convince him into it yourself, _he thought as Natsume's figure disappeared from his view.

***

Natsume ran as fast as he could from the High School Division towards the dormitories. He glanced at the setting sun—Mikan should've returned from the mission by this time, _if ever she really did go into one_, he thought bitterly. He was right that something had been bothering Mikan since two days ago, but the idiot continuously denied it and covered everything with _lies_—something which irked him like hell. Sure it annoyed the hell out of him, but what pissed him off more than anything else is _this_—this thing with extracting his Alice.

He suddenly felt the usual burning pain in his chest, making him suddenly halt from running. As he desperately caught his breath, he felt like his heart was being stung by a thousand needles.

"Damn," he cursed, followed by a series of coughing. _Shit, I've only been running for a short distance and I'm already this exhausted, _thought Natsume grimly. He hated being weak like this.

He suddenly remembered the words of the High School Principal.

"_You're already near the final stage, Hyuuga-kun. That's why for your sake, we have to get this extraction done as soon as possible. Or else, the permanent damage that your body would take…it'll cause your early death."_

He mouthed another profanity. If the circumstances were different, he would gladly undergo some Alice operation like this without any hesitation. He had been living with this sickly condition for more than 4 years already, and he would be lying if he said he hadn't been wishing for this pain to go away. But now that the option for him to be free from the suffering is already here, he couldn't simply take that stupid extraction if it would take his memories away.

The image of Mikan, smiling brightly, crossed his mind. Natsume felt a tinge of a different kind of pain prick his heart. He wouldn't leave Mikan. He _couldn't._

Natsume clenched his jaws and stood up. He needed to see the brunette as soon as possible.

***

"N-Natsume, wait—" Ruka called onto his best friend, who was angrily looking around the dormitory for Mikan. The raven-haired guy knocked furiously at his door a few minutes ago, asking where the brunette girlfriend of his was.

The flame-caster gave Ruka a hard look. "I know that the idiot didn't go to some mission. You know where she is, right?"

The animal lover started sweating profusely. "F-for the meantime, calm yourself down, Natsume… She'll be coming here soon enough, don't worry."

Natsume eyed him. "She's at Imai's place, isn't she?"

Ruka was about to answer him when a familiar female voice interrupted. "Hyuuga."

Both men turned their eyes to the source of the voice. Hotaru was standing with Mikan cowering anxiously behind her. When Natsume's crimson orbs met her hazel ones, the brunette's face paled.

"I _need_ to talk to you," he said to Mikan, command ringing clear from his tone.

"N-Natsume…" she whispered in a quivering voice. She knew it would be like this, but…seeing Natsume's angry features made her tremble in fear and guilt.

Hotaru met the flame-caster eye-to-eye. "I won't hand her over until you promise me you won't hurt her or anything, Hyuuga."

"What a trifling thing to say, Imai," Natsume answered, scoffing. "You know _I won't _do that_._"

Mikan looked at Hotaru and then at Natsume, who were both glaring at each other. Ruka, who was beside Natsume, was fidgeting with the tension between his girlfriend and his best friend.

"I-it's going to be alright, Hotaru. I… I need to talk to Natsume too," Mikan said in a tiny voice, wishing to break the uneasy atmosphere between them.

Hotaru answered her with gentle eyes. The brunette stepped forward from the inventor's back and stalked towards Natsume. The flame-caster watched his girlfriend apprehensively walked to his side, his anger wavering for a bit. He didn't want to scare her, but…

"Natsume, let's go," Mikan called out, as she held his hand tight.

He gripped her hand tighter and stalked away from Hotaru and Ruka, with Mikan being dragged by him. Ruka sighed and walked over to Hotaru.

"Don't worry, he won't hurt Sakura," he said, ushering his girlfriend to go the opposite direction.

Hotaru shrugged. "I know. I just said that to ease his anger for a bit."

The animal lover, clueless of what she meant, just continued to walk side by side with her.

***

Natsume slammed the door of his special star room after hauling Mikan inside. The brunette, nearly tripping, held onto his bed for support. She could've easily stood back up, but suddenly, she felt her knees go weak at the thought of fully facing Natsume's anger. She slowly pushed herself on the bed and sat, her eyes landing on her boyfriend's frowning face opposite her. He led out a hand for her to stand up, which she gratefully held on to.

"Did you really go out for a mission?" he started, still scowling at her.

Mikan averted her gaze. _Why doesn't he just get straight to the point, _she thought guiltily.

"I guessed so," he said, followed by an exasperated sigh. He clenched a fistful of his raven hair in frustration. "You've been bombarding me with lies lately, and now you give me this stupid Alice extraction shit!"

The sight of Natsume in such infuriated state caused her tears to well up. She tried her best to stop them from showing, she thought she had braced herself for this, but she wasn't able to hold it any longer. She was afraid he wouldn't understand her decision.

Natsume looked at Mikan who shook in fear and cried silently. He was so frustrated… he just wanted answers. He didn't mean to hurt her, but _God, he needed_ answers from her.

"Don't you care what will happen to us after?" he asked with a pained voice. "Don't you care…at all?"

His words cut through her heart like a knife, making her cry even more. If she told him the truth, her true feelings, wouldn't he be more discouraged to undergo the extraction? But…

Natsume strode towards her in three big paces, held her on the shoulders and shook her. "Mikan, answer me! Don't you care at all that I would forget everything between us after!?"

"I care, _for God's sake_!" she wailed back at him, unable to suppress her true thoughts. "Do you think this is easy for me? I had to choose between your life or _us_, Natsume! I love you so much and I want to be with you, but I don't want you to die!" She clutched Natsume's shirt and continued to weep. "I don't want you to die…"

Natsume held her closer to him. "You're more important to me…than my life, Mikan," he whispered to her, tears starting to form in the corner of his eyes. She was his life. He had endured every trial in his life in this hell of an academy because of her. He didn't want to leave her, he didn't want to forget her, he didn't want to hurt her like this. He cursed himself for being weak…for being one of the fourth type, for having an Alice that was killing him.

"Mikan… Rather than living without my memories of you and everything—I'd rather… die loving you," he mumbled, embracing her tighter. He meant it. He _couldn't _even think of a life without her. He had fallen in love with her more than anyone can imagine. More than he, himself, could even imagine.

To his surprise, Mikan forcefully pulled away from his arms. She looked at him with tear-stricken eyes. But what made him freeze in place was the determination in those hazel orbs.

"Don't," she started, stretching out to caress his face. "I want you to live… if not for yourself, live for me." Her gaze didn't waver. "If you can't, then I won't allow you to love me anymore."

Natsume felt his breath stopping at her words. He subconsciously raised his hand to touch Mikan's hand on his face. "Mikan, why…"

She slowly leaned over and planted a gentle, warm kiss on Natsume's lips. When she returned to meet his gaze, she showed an affectionate smile.

"Because… I love you more than anything else, Natsume. And I know—" she paused, intertwining their free hands and giving it a gentle squeeze, "—that we can surpass this _trial _between us. This won't be the end of us, I know."

Natsume felt his heart brim with different feelings—a whirlwind of emotions that only this woman could invoke in him. If she believed…if she decided to hang on to their feelings—then he might be able to take the risk.

He pulled her closer and sealed her lips with his own.

* * *

**A/N: OOC? Cheesy? That's intended. :p Anyway, let me hear from you :) REVIEWS PLEASE!**


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Gakuen Alice belongs to Tachibana Higuchi.

**A/N: Thanks so much for everyone who reviewed, added/favorited me and the story. Enjoy more fluff and drama in this chapter. :)**

* * *

**CHAPTER SIX: BOUNDS AND HOPES**

Mikan's head was propped up by her hand as support, her free hand gently playing through Natsume's hair—silently watching him sleep. After both of them talked and had calmed down, they wordlessly agreed to go out on a walk. Hand in hand, they marched out of the dormitory to enjoy the refreshing evening breeze outside.

_The couple silently walked through the campus roads—feeling the wind flutter through their hair, quietly enjoying each other's company, heading towards the elementary division to where 'they' all started…the Sakura tree. It was already late May and the beautiful cherry blossoms were long gone, but still, the tree remained sacred to both of them._

_Walking in a slow pace, Mikan was absent-mindedly staring at the direction ahead, while the flame-caster trailing behind her kept an eye on her. Natsume, feeling a bit uneasy with her silence, squeezed Mikan's hand intertwined with his—calling for her attention. The brunette halted and turned to look at her boyfriend._

"_Natsume?" she asked, her head tilted to the side._

_He was worried, he wanted to know what she was thinking, why was she so quiet…a ramble of questions were raging in his head, but he didn't want to voice it out. It took long for both of them to calm down, and he didn't want to ruin the now-peaceful mood._

_The raven-haired guy shrugged. "Nothing." Then he continued to walk, gently dragging Mikan behind him._

_She gaped for a while there, but when they resumed the stroll, she couldn't help but let out a soft giggle. When he heard her childish laughter, he stopped, and it was his turn to look back with questioning eyes._

"_Have you gone crazy, baka?" Natsume asked, wondering what started the out-of-the-blue chuckle.  
_

_Mikan pouted, but soon continued giggling. "You know what, I seem to be getting better at this."_

_He shot her an perplexed look. "What?"_

_She unhooked her hand from Natsume's, stretched her arms, taking a deep breath. Feeling rejuvenated, she smiled at him. "Nothing," she replied, mimicking the flame-caster's tone. When his eyes furrowed and his lips curled into a frown, she laughed once more. "I mean, you know… reading your language."_

_Natsume didn't get her at all. When the brunette led out a hand, he mutely accepted it and intertwined it with his once again. Then they continued walking._

"_Like for example, you just answer 'nothing', when the truth is you got a lot of things to say but you don't know or don't like to say any of them," she explained, the smile still on her face._

_He glanced at her. 'Where did her density go?' he wondered. Seeing her satisfied smile, he ignored the thought and considered her words. Maybe she was really getting used to his 'unusual' remarks—well, at least for other people._

_She poked him on the cheek. "Did you mean to ask before why was I silent and what was I thinking?" she asked, still smiling proudly._

_His crimson eyes showed a tiny hint of surprise. "Are you sure you don't have any mind-reading stone stuck somewhere on your body?"_

_She chuckled and stuck out her tongue at him. "Of course not. Your eyes are just lovely," she remarked, meeting him in the eye. "I guess I could understand now when you said you could read me like an open book. The person's eyes are the key," she blabbered, still amused._

_He felt a tiny amount of heat creeping up his cheeks. He was thankful it was dark and a bit cold—since the foreign heat gradually faded soon. Natsume just shrugged, and continued their sauntering. "Whatever, Polka," he mumbled, dropping the topic._

_Mikan laughed again, and followed her boyfriend. "And by that you mean, 'I'm embarrassed, let's change topic'," she translated, giggling once more._

_Natsume, convinced that she was really getting good at reading him, chose to ignore her and continued pulling her by the hand towards their Sakura tree. The brunette followed without complaint—satisfied to watch his gorgeous features from the back._

After spending half an hour at their 'special spot', both of them agreed to go back to the dormitory to rest up for the night.

_As they reached the dormitory compound, Natsume tugged on her hand, making her turn around to face him. He looked hesitant, but she waited for him to voice out what he wanted to say._

"_Can you…" he said, almost in a whisper. Mikan was sure she saw him blush. "—uh, spend the night with me?"_

_A smile crept through the brunette's lovely face. "Sure."_

And thus, the current situation—where she's enjoying watching the Natsume Hyuuga deep in his slumber. She was softly playing with his hair as she kept her eye on him, and thanks to that, she was getting neither bored nor sleepy.

A moan filled the silent room. Mikan's hand froze. _Oh no, did I wake him up? _she nervously thought. She waited in anticipation for him to open his eyes…but he didn't. She sighed in relief. Maybe she should just stop and try to get some sleep.

When she changed her position on the bed from facing the side to staring at the ceiling, another moan came out from Natsume's lips. Her eyes quickly landed on his face, panic arising. He let out another moan, and then his eyes shot open and his body jerked to a sitting position—then he started coughing violently.

Mikan hurriedly got up, sat on her legs and leaned forward to Natsume, who was still in a coughing fit. "N-Natsume, are you—" she was answered by more coughing, with that, her face turned pale. _The final stage, _she thought. Dread filled her system. He can't be—

"I-I'm going to call the infirmary—" Mikan told him, getting off the bed in panic…when a hand stopped her, and at the same time, the coughing slowly dying down.

Natsume, his free hand stopping her, and the other covering his mouth, whispered. "D-don't. I'm…fine now."

Seeing he had stopped coughing and there wasn't the _usual _blood on his hands or mouth after the fit, Mikan gradually calmed down. She sat back on the bed and inclined herself near Natsume, taking a good look at him if he was really alright.

"Are you sure?" she asked in a tiny voice.

He softly nodded and grabbed several sheets of wet tissue from the box beside his bed to wipe his mouth and hands. After throwing them away, he faced sideways to meet Mikan's hazel orbs—which were following his every move. "I'm alright, don't worry," he murmured. The brunette nodded, though still weary about his condition.

Natsume grabbed her in the arm and pulled her onto the bed. She sofly gasped as she landed on top of him, his face directly in front of hers. He looked at her as if searching for something in her hazel pools, and then lifted his head to plant a tender but lingering kiss on her lips.

After, he gently situated her on the other side of the bed and locked her in his arms. "Let's go back to sleep, Polka," he said, burying his face into her neck, his breath softly fanning her collarbone.

His breath sent a thousand of sparks in her tummy, but she quickly ignored it and cleared her throat instead. "O-okay. Good night, Natsume," she said, then planted a soft kiss on his hair.

He whispered 'Hn,' then she felt his breathing go even—he was back to sleep. Mikan smiled and planted another kiss on his dazzling unruly raven locks, then she finally closed her eyes to join Natsume in his slumber.

***

"So, have you two talked about it?" Principal Kazu asked, eyes intent on the couple before him. Natsume and Mikan came to his office first thing in the morning, and out of his expectations, the two looked serene and calm to him.

Mikan held Natsume's hand and squeezed it tight—sending him a touch full of assurance. The raven-haired lad glanced at her, and when he saw her resolute expression, he knew _this decision _wouldn't go wrong.

"Yes. And…" he started, taking a deep breath, continued in a sombre tone, "—I will undergo the Alice extraction." Finally saying it out loud, he, in return, gripped his girlfriend's hand with sincere determination. With this decision, he had put his life, his _everything_… in Mikan's hands.

The brunette, after a few heartbeats, spoke. "Uncle, this may be selfish of me to ask, but we—" she paused, cast an awkward glance at Natsume--who was puzzled, but then she reverted her glance back at the principal, "—I want some more time… to spend with him. I-if you could understand what I mean…" she said, blushing ten shades of red. She knew it was bold of her to say such things, but she needed time to prepare herself before the extraction, and she _wanted _more time with Natsume.

The flame-caster looked at his embarrassed girlfriend, and honestly speaking, he was touched with what she said. He had the same thing in mind, but despite the bitter fact that he would forget about it anyway—he still wanted to stay with Mikan for even a short while more. He had realized that this predicament they were facing would hurt Mikan more than it would hurt himself…because he will be the one leaving and forgetting her. _Damn this, _he cursed, not happy at all at the thought of making her suffer.

Principal Kazu kept a small knowing smile in his face. Of course, he understood their silent wish to be together for just a bit more. He looked at his niece—she resembled her father so much, honest and true to his feelings, while she had the unwavering courage that her mother had.

"Of course, Mikan," the man who had lived long enough because of his Alice answered with deep understanding.

Mikan let out a small smile. "Thanks, Uncle," she mumbled, then snatched a glance at Natsume once more. Her smile faded when a specific memory crossed her mind. She flashed her eyes back at Principal Kazu. "But before that… I need to know how much time left before Natsume enters the final stage," she stated grimly. The coughing fit that Natsume had last night still made her uneasy.

Crimson eyes widened. He didn't think that Mikan was aware of his coughing fits being related to the threat of the final stage. He shot her an incredulous look, but she was looking straight ahead at the principal. The latter seemed to have put on a stoic expression.

"Yes, about that," Kazu started, "—the doctors at the infirmary haven't told us about any specific number of days left, but just to be careful, we need to do the extraction within the week." He saw Mikan look disheartened, so he regarded Natsume instead. "How is your physical condition lately?"

Natsume didn't know what to say. He had been experiencing casual burning pains in his chest since yesterday, despite the lack of exertion in his activities. And the coughing fits were getting more violent than before, and they've become more frequent even if he wasn't doing anything tiring. After the fit last night when Mikan was there, he had another two since this morning. But if he told them the truth, the principal would surely cut the week down to days—and he didn't want that. He wanted more time to be with Mikan. It was one of the little things he can still do for her—be strong and stay with her for a couple days more.

The brunette silently watched the dilemma in Natsume's crimson pools. She clearly understood what kept him speechless, and she didn't want to be the cause of his further suffering. Sure she still wanted to be with him, but she didn't want to endanger his life by being selfish. She clutched on his hand tight.

"Natsume, please tell us the truth," Mikan pleaded, sadness evident in her voice. Natsume flicked his eyes towards her, dread creeping up on him. Of course, she knew what he was thinking. She could read him anytime like last night, despite whatever face he put on.

He closed his eyes and sighed in resignation. "It's…getting worse."

Principal Kazu watched the pained expressions of the couple. He knew everything was going difficult for both of them, but it would be unwise to tolerate the emotions that would get in the way, for the better. It had been decided… and they had to take precautions. He sighed inwardly.

"We'll do it in three days," Kazu said with finality. "I hope that would be enough time for both of you," he added, though he knew even a week or a month wouldn't be _enough_ for them.

The responses he received were a distant look from Natsume, and tears from Mikan.

***

The doors of the middle school's Class B slid open. The class was still composed of the same people from elementary division's Class 2B, minus three who lost their childhood-shape Alices. It was still thirty minutes before classes start, but almost half of the class were already there, chatting about various things, while some of the boys continued to banter with each other. As the door opened, everyone fell silent when the infamous couple of the middle school division and even in the academy itself, entered together. Natsume and Mikan entering together wasn't a new thing to them anymore—what made them shut up was the unusual tension between the two…and the _rare_ gloomy atmosphere surrounding the usually hyper brunette. Everyone in the class quietly followed the two with curious glances, as the couple silently sat at their desk at the back of the room. Mikan—who would normally greet everyone a cheerful 'good morning!'—wordlessly sat down and rested her head on the desk, using her arms as support. While Natsume—who would normally start reading his manga as soon as he sat—was absent-mindedly staring at the depressed brunette beside him, his face clearly scrunched up with worry…not minding if everyone saw that _rare _expression.

The class exchanged perplexed and curious glances, their thoughts on the lines of _'Did they fight?', 'Is Mikan-chan sick?', 'Do they both have mood swings?', 'Did they break up?', 'Is Mikan-chan pregnant?', 'Was Natsume-kun caught cheating on Mikan?'_—and a dozen more of outrageous suppositions as to why the usually loud and bantering couple was _that _ominous today.

Among everyone, only two people knew the real reason behind Natsume and Mikan's odd behavior—the other couple in the class: Hotaru Imai and Ruka Nogi. The two exchanged worried glances, they knew the situation was difficult and they couldn't do anything about it…except to support their friends and comfort them. But they knew better than approaching them right now.

A childish male voice filled the silent room. "Is it…true?"

All heads turned towards the owner of the voice—Koko. He was staring blankly at the couple, apparently too shocked to even remember to blink.

"W-what is it, Koko?" nudged Permy, panic in her tone. Seeing his long-time partner being surprised like that, she knew he wasn't bluffing—and the news would certainly be bad.

Koko, still gawking at Natsume and Mikan, muttered…but good enough for everyone to hear.

"Natsume-kun is _dying_… and to prevent that, Mikan-chan needs to take all of his Alice away," Koko paused when a sob broke out from the back of the room—from no one else, but Mikan. Natsume leaned forward and gathered her in his arms. Koko continued, his voice grim, "—but the effect of taking his Alice is…the loss of his memories related to having his Alice."

Noise broke out and filled the whole room. Everyone started asking Koko, Natsume and Mikan questions if it's true, if Koko was just kidding, if there was no other way…and a million of other questions. Mikan continued to cry on Natsume's chest, while the latter kept her in his arms, silently comforting her. Natsume clenched his jaws as more questions were thrown at them—he didn't want to talk about it and he didn't want Mikan feeling guilty or anything about it. He cursed himself for not being able to do anything to stop her from crying, and was instead the cause of it.

"Stop bugging them," a stern voice made everyone shut their mouths. The stoic inventor stood up, holding her Baka Gun in her hand. She glowered at everyone inside the room. "What Koko said was true, and there's no other way to save Hyuuga. So don't ask any more questions, just accept it…and support both of them."

Ruka, cast a worried glance on the infamous couple, and looked at everyone. "I understand this is difficult for everyone to accept, but just think of how much those two… how much _they_ have to go through. So please understand."

"I-I'm sorry, everyone…" apologized Mikan, who had calmed down after Hotaru spoke up. She wiped her tears away, and said sorry to the class once more.

Natsume clenched his jaws. "Don't apologize, Polka. It's not your fault," he whispered to her and held her close to him once more. He faced the majority of the class with a grim expression. He thought this might be the last time he could speak to them, so he chose to do so.

"I'm leaving in three days, and I might end up forgetting every one of you. But Mikan and I… we'll do our best to do something about my memories. So until I do so… I _order_ every one of you to stay by her and protect her."

Mikan looked up to see the determination in Natsume's features, and it somehow relieved her of her worries about the matter, even for just a bit. _We could do this…we could surpass this, _she chanted to herself, taking strength from her boyfriend's resolve.

Everyone, both surprised and touched by Natsume's unlikely expression of his thoughts, understood the sincerity of his words. He was entrusting the welfare of the most special person in his life to _them_. Natsume Hyuuga trusted them. And that means a lot.

Natsume faced Mikan and planted a soft kiss on her hair. He looked earnestly at her and whispered, "I'm not giving up, Mikan. Even if hell freezes over, I won't give up on us." He held her hands tight, his crimson orbs tinted with absolute resolution. "So don't you cry anymore. As you said, _this _won't be the end of us."

Mikan nodded in agreement. She closed her eyes and prayed for more strength. She didn't want to give up either. _Because as long as Natsume holds on, I will, _she told herself, hope filling her disturbed mind.

* * *

**A/N: Let's REVIEW to show our support for Natsume and Mikan! LOL :p But seriously, REVIEWS PLEASE! ^_^**


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Gakuen Alice belongs to Tachibana Higuchi. Not Stolen belongs to me. :p

**A/N: Haha, sorry for taking too long to update this time. It was hard to write when I had to worry about what classes to enroll in, LOL. Anyway, here, enjoy. :) More fluff and drama. ^^**

* * *

**CHAPTER SEVEN: SEALING THE DEAL**

It was just five in the afternoon, yet it was already getting dark for a late Spring day. Natsume peered at the clouds looming above and a flock of birds swiftly travelling through the sky. _'It's going to rain,' _he thought to himself. He glanced at his best friend, Ruka, walking beside him—who seemed to be thinking of the same thing.

"Where did Sakura say she was going?" Ruka faced Natsume while walking and asked.

As soon as the dismissal bell rang after classes, Mikan told Natsume to go on ahead to the dormitories because she needed to do something important. She then went over to Ruka, who was left behind by Hotaru for an urgent interview with a new multi-millionaire sponsor, and asked the animal lover to spend some good time with Natsume—since, according to her, she would be keeping the flame-caster all to herself before the extraction. She gave both men a wink and left the classroom in a revved up mood…something that made Natsume feel quite relieved that she was back to her old self, not like this morning that she was so depressed and all crying.

"She didn't say," Natsume answered, staring ahead, walking slowly with his hands in his pockets. "Though Koko mentioned that he caught some of her thoughts for an instant," he shrugged, "—said she was going to the Alice Room."

The Alice Room was a special hidden room inside the elementary school division—specifically saying, inside the office of the Elementary School Principal. After the Alice War and Principal Kuonji's death, the room where his wide collection of Alice Stones was decided to be kept the way it was and was named the 'Alice Room'. Only the higher officials of the Academy have access to the room, and of course, the only Stealing Alice alive: Mikan Sakura.

Ruka looked at the usual detached expression on his best friend's face. Well, that would be the 'usual' to other people, though for him, he clearly could read the worry and anxiety that darkened Natsume's features. And there was no need to ask the reason why.

"You wondering why she looked so happy going to the Alice Room?" the Animal Pheromone asked in a quiet voice, anxious to further annoy his friend—who had obviously too many things in his mind right now.

Natsume shrugged. "It's her façade," he simply answered, still looking at nothing else but straight ahead. _'She's not happy at all, it's so obvious. Because there's no other reason she'd go there but to prepare for the Alice extraction,' _he added to himself.

'_Three days_,_' _he thought bitterly. There's so much to do for such little time. A familiar burn suddenly shot through his system, which made him wince, but he did it so faintly so Ruka wouldn't notice. Everything was so unfair—he was left with nearly no other choice. Even if he cancels the extraction so he could just stay with Mikan and die happily—it was the hard truth that he didn't have so much to live… putting the thought in vain. _'Curse this body,' _he silently swore, the feeling of helplessness returning.

A warm hand on his shoulder interrupted his wandering thoughts. He glanced to see Ruka, smiling timidly.

"You want to go to _our _place?" the blonde asked, trying hard to ignore the sadness overcoming him. It was a fact that this could be his last time together with Natsume—before his friend forgets _everything_.

Natsume raised a brow. "More likely, you and your animals' place, Ruka," he retorted, knowing that his friend was pertaining to the barn in the Eastern Woods. But regardless, it was true that it was _their _place, one of the good places full of their memories together as best friends.

***

Hotaru sighed as she gazed at the darkness outside. She was tired from the interview this afternoon—the sponsor had been too detailed with everything and anything regarding the project and it almost snatched the lights out of her…obsessive-compulsive guarantors are really the _worst_.

She turned to glance at her currently operating photo printer. _'Still a bit more,' _she thought to herself, eyeing the piece of machine who had been her trusted 'teammate' in her photo-blackmailing and photo-sale business since elementary. A few minutes ago when she arrived from school, she should've already hit the bed for a nap, but she felt she _had _to do _something_—which is why the printing device was currently working on its full efficiency.

A loud beep from the machine was heard. A signal that it's done with printing, Hotaru slowly shuffled from the side of the window to her desk. She picked up the stack of photos laid in an organized manner on the tray of the printer. She looked at them one by one, as if scrutinizing each sheet. _Photos of Natsume and Mikan_—from the huge chunk of her collection saved in her laptop, she chose her best shots and printed them out.

She gave a fleeting look at the small red box on her desk. Hotaru knew it was kind of _petty_… or downright _naïve_—that these pictures might somehow help that Hyuuga to remember about Mikan and him when he loses his memories. The inventor stuffed the pictures inside the box, the topmost being a shot of Natsume and Mikan's first kiss as a couple after elementary graduation. She smirked at how the photo showed the _truth_ about the couple—Natsume being the perverted and aggressive one, while Mikan being the naïve one and always the victim. The raven-haired lad was pinning the brunette into the Sakura tree, one of his legs in between Mikan's thighs, and as Natsume kissed her, her eyes were wide open with shock.

Hotaru sighed and closed the box. She was doing this because she needed to ensure that Hyuuga would remember Mikan. She didn't want her to end up hurt in the end—and she knew that Mikan would not be happy without the _arrogant jerk_. It was the least thing she could do for her happiness.

She sat on her chair and faced her computer once more. She opened her video editing program—_yawned_—and clicked on some files.

'_Just to make sure,' _she said to herself, plunging once more into her world of technology.

***

"If you got something to say, Natsume, go ahead," Ruka commented when he noticed his best friend was throwing anxious glances at him for a few minutes already. He knew too well that the raven-haired lad have troubles expressing his thoughts, so he spoke for him.

Natsume's brows furrowed as he frowned. He stared blankly at the ground before him, as if the answers to his worries would come out from the heap of hay he was sitting on. He let out a frustrated sigh.

"How does it feel?" the flame-caster started. Ruka, who didn't know what he meant by that, chose to remain silent, his eyes still on his friend. Natsume groaned and clutched a fistful of his raven hair, then threw an awkward glance at Ruka. "Y'know… how does it feel—knowing that I would forget you?"

The blonde guy was taken aback by the question. As much as possible, he wanted to keep silent about it, because he didn't want to add to the burden that Natsume was carrying right now. However, he can't help but be honest to his friend.

"It's…difficult. We've been friends since we were 8, and being told one day that you're going to lose memories—it all seems like some cruel joke," Ruka, in a tiny voice, said. His cerulean eyes were distant. "But like Sakura…more than anything else, I don't want you to die just like this. So, even if it's difficult… I'll be strong, until you recover your memories. Whatever happens, I'm still your friend."

Natsume's eyes stayed firmly locked into the ground. His crimson eyes showed how deep and how large the things he had been pondering on were. Ruka stared at him, trying to analyze how he thought of his answer, and what more he was thinking. And the instant he saw the unusual hint of _fear_ in Natsume's crimson pools, the truth hit him hard. It was _that_, of course.

"You're worried about Sakura…aren't you?" Ruka asked in a concerned voice. Worry—was an understatement. He could clearly see that his friend was _afraid_… of something—of what will happen to Mikan.

The raven-haired one shot him a _how-did-you-know _glare, but when he saw Ruka's sincere expression, his glare softened as he averted his eyes away. Saying he was worried was not enough. He couldn't explain _this _anxiety…it bugs him like hell.

"Why… do I always end up hurting her?" voiced out Natsume, his tone ranging between frustration and exasperation. He prodded his hand on his face and let out a heavy sigh. "I'm always being saved…by her. And she always gets hurt because of that…" he murmured, adding a curse at the end.

A huge swoosh of wind came between the two men, ruffling their unkept tresses, soothing them…even for just a bit. Natsume continued to stare at the ground as if it was something interesting like his manga volumes, while Ruka continued to ponder—of what he could tell his best friend.

The animal pheromone Alice user started to caress Usagi as soon as it hopped back into his lap. He stole a quick glance at Natsume.

"Then this time, make sure you don't hurt her," he said firmly, staring off into the clearing ahead.

Natsume, apparently caught by his words, sat up straight and stared at him…waiting for him to continue. Ruka faced his best friend, a kind smile on his face.

"Why don't you _seal_ it, Natsume?" the blonde suggested, his words meaningful. It didn't take much of a second for Natsume to realize what his best friend meant.

'_Of course,'_ he thought to himself. If he didn't want Mikan to get hurt, he must ensure he _would _remember…that he wouldn't leave her alone. And that assurance..._must _be felt by her. And there was only one way to do that.

_A promise. _Because Natsume Hyuuga never breaks a promise. Like the time he promised her mother he will take care of their family—he made sure he would fulfill it no matter how hard it takes. He will _seal _it this time with a promise. That he would remember, that he would be back, that he would be there to love her still.

Natsume looked at the darkening sky above and took in a deep breath. As he slowly let it out, he finished it with a satisfied smile.

Ruka watched as the raven-haired best friend of his stood up, pocketing his hands, holding a serene face. He can't help but smile at the scene. Natsume knew what he had to do. He watched as the flame-caster slowly walked away from where they sat together, clearly set out to do what he _had _to do.

After a few paces, Natsume stopped and looked back at Ruka.

"I will remember, Ruka," he started, filled with determination. "So I wouldn't treat this like it's our last time together. Whatever happens…you _are _my best friend." Natsume stated, ending it with a small wave as he started on his tracks once more.

Ruka looked at the retreating form of his best friend. He never had the wrong hunch about Natsume—and he knew he was coming back. He, too, was confident…that Natsume would remember. The blonde smiled and stood up, readying himself to pay a visit to his ever busy inventor girlfriend.

***

Mikan clutched the Recollection Alice stone she had retrieved from the Alice Room this afternoon down the Elementary School Division. During the day, after the emotional encounter between her, Natsume and their classmates, her mind was preoccupied by the limited amount of time she had left with Natsume. As the teacher continued to babble geometric equations, Mikan's head whirled with ideas—things she wanted to do with her boyfriend…before the _extraction_.

And then _something_ hit her. There was something more important than thinking of stuff she would do with Natsume…it actually really didn't matter what they did, since as long as they are together, she would be happy. But this one—of course, it was _essential... _that she ensured herself of being capable to conduct the Alice extraction properly. Because one wrong move could kill Natsume in an instant.

She shuddered at the thought. Even if the extraction was the only way out of death's grip due to Natsume's fourth type alice, the method itself was still _risky—_especially for her who hasn't yet done an actual extraction with _someone who only had one Alice. _

As she held the Recollection Alice stone tight, her mother's words during one of her Alice trainings flowed clearly into her head.

"_It's actually easier to extract someone with two or more Alices, since there would be always another Alice left inside their bodies to keep the Alice essence that maintains their lives as Alices," Yuka explained as Mikan concentrated on trying to extract her mother's Teleportation Alice._

_Mikan paused and looked up at her mother. "So…how about the people with only one Alice? Not all people have multiple Alices such as us, so…how would that be?"_

_Yuka softly patted her daughter's head. "You always ask good questions, dear." She smiled timidly. "Well, the risk is very high when permanently extracting the Alice of someone who only has one. It's like…how neurological surgeons feel—that one mistake will instantly end the life of the patient. It's the same with us…we're tampering into the most vital part of us, being an Alice."_

_Mikan sat straight, completely sucked into the conversation. "You mean…the Alice essence?"_

_Yuka nodded. "Yes. The Alice essence is like our soul, as someone born with Alice. That's why during extraction, if by mistake you take all of the Alice away including the essence—the person dies." The older brunette's facial expression turned remorseful. "I wasn't aware with all of this before…during the time I did those disgusting evil work for Kuonji."_

_Mikan understood what her mother meant—she saw it all during the time travel with Nodacchi before. Kuonji forced Yuka to take away the Alices of those who are on their deathbed—because according to him, they are already useless junks and their Alices will be a waste if it died along with them. Those missions tortured her mother both physically and mentally—that's why even now, she could understand Yuka's grim feelings. Because if only she had known before how to keep the people's Alice essence, she could've not killed them by her own hands, and she could've saved a lot, especially those suffering from the fourth type of Alice._

Mikan suddenly jerked up from her concentration as the final spark of the stone in her hands extinguished. She stared at the used up Alice stone and sighed. She fished out another one from her pocket—the last Recollection stone she got. With this, she needed to _remember_ the actual feeling, not just memories, of how the extraction worked. She did it a couple of times with her mother, and she did it quite well…but she needed to remember everything clearly. Especially how to detect the Alice essence. She wouldn't dare risk Natsume's life by making a mistake and end up _stealing _his life as well.

The brunette took out another stone, purplish in color—the Amplification Alice stone. She smiled as she remembered one of her senpai, Akira Tonouchi…one of the few people who had the greatest Alice compability with her. She took two from the Alice Room: one for today—so she could amplify the Recollection Alice to remember the 'feeling' clearly as well during her extraction training; and another one for the actual extraction with Natsume. She _had _to make this right.

As she held the two Alice stones close to her chest, she concentrated hard to remember—the most vital training she had two years ago.

***

Natsume opened his desk's drawer as soon as he came back to his dorm room from Central Town. He fished out a small black lacquered box from his pocket and stared at it for a while.

_Promise rings._

After his conversation with Ruka, he headed for Central Town to buy a pair of silver bands, then he had those engraved with a promise—_his promise. _A promise he would certainly fulfill. He closed his eyes as the image of a smiling Mikan crossed his mind. He clutched the ring box close to his chest as he thought how much he loved the girl—the one he would give the promise ring to. _Tomorrow, _he said to himself.

Letting out a sigh, Natsume put the box inside his drawer and closed it tight. He shuffled towards the bathroom to take a quick shower before going to visit Mikan. He was eager to see her after she left him with Ruka this afternoon to go to the Alice Room—to prepare for the extraction. He grunted at the thought. He knew it would be torture for Mikan to be the one who would _actually_, though quite indirectly, take his memories away. He cursed as he quickly stepped into the bathroom, so as to finish early and pay a visit to his girlfriend. To at least stay by her side as long as he can.

After wearing his pajamas and having dried his hair, Natsume took the huge Teleportation Alice stone that hung in his necklace—together with the Healing Alice Stone he had received from his mother when he was but a child. The Teleportation stone was given to him by Mikan's mother, a day before the Alice War erupted.

He could still clearly remember Azumi Yuka's words.

"_Take this," she said, handing over a huge aquamarine stone. "This might prove to be useful during the war tomorrow. If the situation calls for it, protect Mikan with this stone."_

_Natsume stretched out his arm to receive the Alice stone. He stared at its lustrous color, and enveloped it with his hand. He took out the Healing Alice stone necklace he had inside his shirt and attached the Teleportation Alice stone beside it._

_Yuka, aware of the Healing Alice stone she gave years ago to her Kaoru-senpai, and in turn was given to her son—smiled meaningfully. She patted the raven-haired lad's shoulder and looked at him meaningfully._

"_Take it as a sign—that I am entrusting my daughter to you, Kaoru-senpai's son."_

Those were Yuka's last words. Natsume wondered until now if the woman knew she was going to die during the war, therefore entrusting Mikan to him. He looked sadly at the aquamarine stone—thinking he would, in some degree, fail Yuka, fail to stay by Mikan's side all along.

Mikan had no one else other than her friends and him. And now, he would be leaving her. Of course he was determined to remember and get back close to Mikan as soon as possible, but the glaring truth is there: he could have remembered but he was not an Alice anymore. He wouldn't be able to stay with her until she graduates from the Academy.

'_There will be a way,' _he thought to himself, brushing off the distressing thoughts. For now, he just wanted to see Mikan.

He closed his eyes as he activated the Teleportation stone, instantly disappearing from his room.

***

As Natsume slowly materialized inside Mikan's room, his sight caught the brunette…sleeping soundly while sitting—her back against the bedside wall. His brows furrowed a bit, imagining how the girl ended up sleeping at the floor while sitting, and how uncomfortable it must be. As the last spark of the Teleportation ended, he quickly stalked over to his girlfriend.

He kneeled in front of her, earnestly looking at her slumbering face. A small smile crept into his face. _'She looks so tired, but she still looks cute when sleeping,' _he thought as always whenever he could gaze at the sleeping Mikan like this.

Natsume, not yet wanting to wake her up, looked around the floor and saw shards of used Alice stones. One even still hang from Mikan's hand—a stone still with tints of purple on it. He picked up the empty stones and put them above the side table. He threw another glance at Mikan and decided to wake her up so she could transfer to the bed.

"Mikan," he softly called her name, touching her shoulder and shook her gently. "Wake up."

The brunette stirred and let out a soft moan…but continued to sleep. Natsume sighed and shook her once more, a bit stronger this time. "Mikan, wake up. You have to sleep on your bed or else your body will hurt tomorrow if you sleep while sitting."

Mikan answered with another moan. The flame-caster sighed once more. _'The sleepyhead,' _he said, shaking his head. He crouched and stretched out his arms to hold the brunette and carry her over to the bed. It wasn't much of a job since Mikan was as light as a feather, despite his body's condition. He tenderly placed her on the bed, arranged her head on the pillow and tucked her in with her blankets. Confident that she would be able to sleep comfortably now, he brushed off the strands of her auburn locks from her face and planted a soft kiss on her lips.

He stood up and prepared to leave the girl's room so he could get some sleep for himself too. But an instant before he could activate the Teleportation stone, a muffled voice came from behind him.

"Natsume…?" Mikan said in a slurry manner, sleepiness still evident in her half-opened eyes.

Natsume turned to face her and approached her. He touched her face and whispered. "Go back to sleep, Polka. I'll be _leaving soon_."

The two final words that Natsume uttered caused Mikan to sit up on the bed, fully awake now. She clutched his shirt tight, her eyes filled with fear.

"D-don't leave," she said, tears starting to form in her eyes. "Don't say those words, Natsume… Don't leave…_yet_," she continued, the last word almost a whisper.

Seeing the fear from her tear-stricken eyes, Natsume felt a tug in his heart. He could clearly see how Mikan is distressed about all of this—and how helpless he was. His heart enveloped with guilt, he gathered the brunette into his arms and held her tight.

"I…I'm sorry, Mikan. I won't…I won't leave you, I'll stay here," he said, hoping that it was possible to also mean that he would stay with her, never leave her—to hell with extraction, losing memories, and death. He just wanted to be with her, to make her happy. But he knew it was impossible—there was no time left, and no other choice but to take the extraction. So he could stay alive and live for her. Just like he said he would.

Mikan continued to sob as Natsume held onto her tight. Fate is certainly cruel sometimes. But Natsume didn't care about fate or destiny or whatever. He will fight it, he will turn the tides—just to be able to continue to love this girl in his arms. He wouldn't have it any other way.

"Mikan, I love you…" he whispered, all of his true feelings enveloped into those three special words. He embraced the brunette tighter, as if she would disappear if he let go.

He could never love anyone else as much as he loves this girl. He wouldn't want to. It would just be plain wrong. He knew, the moment he decided to protect her…that she was the one whom he wanted to spend his lifetime with.

That's why he would remember…_whatever happens. He will remember her._

_

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_**A/N: .....Reviews?? ^_^**


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Gakuen Alice belongs to Tachibana Higuchi. This story and plot belongs to ME.

**A/N: Thank you for everyone who reviewed and favorited the story. Please stay with me until the end. :) Anyway, here you go, one of the most light-hearted chapters of the story.^^ Oh...and some _you-know-what _alert for kids. :p  
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**CHAPTER EIGHT: DATES AND PROMISES**

Natsume woke up to the sound and smell of _something_ being fried. The aroma of a mixture of garlic, onion, vegetables, eggs and what-not filled his nose—causing him to wake from his deep slumber with a hungry stomach. He let out a small yawn, faced sideward, and stretched his arms—only to find that the _expected _'bulk' beside him was gone. He quickly opened his eyes and only saw a ruffle of blankets and a stack of pillows beside him.

He turned to the other side and saw faint smoke coming from the kitchen at the far corner of the room, shielded by a thin wooden wall. He inhaled the scent coming from there and stretched both his legs and arms. A soft hum filled the room—making Natsume smile. _'Mikan,'_ he thought, as he sat up the bed and threw the covers away from his body.

The humming stopped and footsteps were heard.

"Natsume?" a brunette clad in apron and was holding a frying spoon called out. Natsume looked up to see her as soon as he found his slippers. Mikan—he squinted—was in pigtails.

Before he could comment on her hair, the brunette stunned him with a bright smile. "Morning, Natsume! I'm about to finish cooking breakfast soon, so just wait okay!" she said, beaming, then hurriedly went back to the kitchen.

He ignored the brunette's hairstyle and slowly shuffled towards the fridge near the kitchen—still yawning. As he took out a bottle of iced coffee au lait from Mikan's fridge, he threw a quick glance at the seemingly cheerful brunette. He admitted that he felt relieved that there wasn't a trace of her depression like last night. That was why he slept over—he stayed by her side until she could calm down and go back to sleep.

"Polka," Natsume called out, walking over to the dining table and sat with his coffee. He peered at the wall clock—8 AM. One hour before classes start. "Are you going to class?" he asked.

Mikan approached him, holding two empty bowls. "Nope!" she said, smiling at him. "And you're not going too," she casually announced, putting down the bowls in front of him.

Natsume raised a brow. _'Who said I would go?' _he thought to himself, but instead voiced out which actually caught his curiosity. "So…why are you up so early?"

It took long before she answered. She was busy putting her cooked dish into a plate and quickly tidied up the used cooking utensils. He watched her as she gently put the dish on the dining table—fried rice with pork tidbits and veggies. _'Looks delicious,'_ Natsume thought. He reached for the box of chopsticks on the table and took out one for each of them. Mikan sat at his opposite and poured coffee for herself.

"Itadakimasu!" she exclaimed with a smile. Natsume mumbled the same word, his attention half on his girlfriend and half on the food.

Both of them started to eat silently. Before the hush started to make them feel awkard, Mikan answered his question before.

"Well, we're going on a whole day date, that's why," the brunette stated, then chewed on her food.

'_We are?'_ Natsume wordlessly asked, but changed the question. "Really," he sipped on his coffee. "So…where?"

Mikan stopped eating and pouted at him. "Hey!! Try to sound a little bit more enthusiastic, will you!" she hollered, her brows furrowing. Natsume rolled his eyes and muttered an apology. The brunette took it without any argument and resumed eating.

"Anyway, we're going outside the Academy for our date today," she said, excitement filling her words. Natsume replied with a surprised look. _'Outside?' _he thought, considering Mikan's expression as if she was joking or what.

Mikan beamed at him as if she read his mind. "Yes, outside, Natsume." She put another mouthful of rice in her mouth and quickly chewed it. She resumed talking after. "I talked to Hii-sama yesterday before I went back here. I told her if we could be excused from classes today, and after shooting me with her 'I-know-what-you-mean' look—" she explained, paused and tried to imitate the Middle School principal's glare, then continued, "—she suddenly suggested that we go outside the Academy for a date, and she was willing to hold down the barrier for a little while for us to go out."

Natsume stared at her disbelievingly. "Are you sure you didn't do _anything_…to make her say that?"

The brunette laughed, as if saying 'Yeah, I did,' but she didn't tell Natsume anything, seeing it wasn't that important. She changed the topic. "Well, she said we can go, so let's go, right? But we have to get back until around 8 in the evening."

The raven-haired guy finished the last of his food and drank his coffee. "Hmm, that's cool," he commented, trying hard to ignore his urge to press Mikan to tell what she did to the creepy, lesbo Middle School principal to give them this unusual chance to go out. And a date for that matter.

Seeing Mikan finish eating her meal, he asked again. "So, what do we do outside?" Noticing his question sounded stupid, he tried to rephrase. "You know… what do we do, where do we go."

Mikan drank her coffee and exclaimed, "Ah—I'm full." She then looked at Natsume with an amused smile. "Hey, you're the guy here, you should know," she said in a taunting voice.

Natsume scoffed at the remark. "You just told me now, and you expect me to know what to do."

She laughed, obviously just wanting to play with him. "Yeah, I know, I know, that's why I already arranged things." Natsume replied with a simple raise of brows. Mikan continued. "I got Demi to—" but Natsume suddenly cut her off and asked with disbelief. "Demi? You made _the Dangerous Class adviser _to arrange things for our da—uh, today?"

Mikan nodded, a mischievous smile on her face. "Hmm, I just made him return a favour, and since he's the one who prepares stuff for outside relations of the Academy, might as well ask him to do the job."

Natsume crossed his arms before his chest. "Tell me little girl, what did you do?" _…to make him agree, _he continued silently.

"Nothing, really. I just _sweet-talked_… and reminded him about something he owed me—y'know, I saved his life from a Poison Alice last week by stealing it from his body. Just that, and he _gladly_ said he would take care of what we would need for today," she explained nonchalantly.

Natsume stared at her, as if the words she was speaking were from some language he didn't know. His girlfriend…his Mikan… sounded like that freak inventor best friend of hers. Where 'sweet-talk' was equal to blackmail, and 'gladly' would mean the exact opposite of the truth. Now he felt hesitant in leaving his sweet and innocent girlfriend to the hands of the inventor after the extraction. Imai was clearly rubbing off on Mikan now.

Mikan stood up from her chair and started to clean up the table while Natsume just stayed silent and watched her. A short while after she was done—cleaning the table and washing the dishes—she approached Natsume who was standing beside the window, looking outside. When he felt her near, he faced her; while she reached out to him for an embrace—which the former gladly accepted.

"I want to make this a happy and enjoyable day, something I… _we_ could never forget," she whispered to him, their arms still locked with each other. "So let's forget about our worries for now, and let's have fun, Natsume."

The flame-caster gently pulled from her embrace and looked her in the eye. He softly nodded. She smiled in return. He slowly inched his face closer to hers for a kiss.

"I'll see you downstairs in an hour," he murmured as he pulled away and left for his room. Mikan watched him go with a satisfied smile.

***

"Polka," Natsume beckoned for the overly excited and cheerful brunette as they were walking around the peaceful streets of Odaiba. They had just finished eating their late lunch inside the Marine House of the seaside park, and now, they were treading their way to God-knows-where. Since morning, they strolled around the busy shopping streets of Akasaka and paid a short visit to the famous shrine there. His feet were already killing him and _thank God_—Mikan finally blurted out then that they would ride the car prepared by Demi for them to go to Odaiba where they would have lunch.

Mikan halted her merry skipping and turned to face Natsume with a pout. "Call me by my name..!"

He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Whatever, Mikan."

The girl beamed and waited for him to catch up. "Haha, sorry for walking so fast, I got so excited, this place is so lovely and this is my first time getting to explore Tokyo!" she exclaimed as she made funny, animated gestures.

'_You're always excited,' _he thought, but didn't say it aloud, satisfied with the happy atmosphere between them. Truth be told, he was having fun. Getting to see nice places and attractions with Mikan—he couldn't help but think that he would never get tired of this…as long as she was with him. She made everything complete.

He was about to ask where they were going next when the usual burning pain raged through his chest. He skidded to sudden halt, winced and clutched his chest. Mikan saw this and shouted his name, then hurriedly ran over to support him. Natsume felt his knees buckle as he started coughing.

"N-Natsume, I'm sorry for…for wearing you out—" Mikan said as she helped him untangle his Healing Stone necklace for him to use it. She continued muttering words of apology, tears falling from her eyes.

He didn't want her to feel that way…he was just really too weak, and it wasn't her felt. He struggled to speak as the stone started to heal him. "I-idiot…" he mumbled. "This happens randomly… it's not your fault."

"I-I'm sorry…" she apologized once more, her tears not wanting to stop. "D-do you want to go back to the academy now?"

Natsume frowned but didn't answer right away…waiting for the stone to finish taking away the current burning pain in his chest. He coughed one last time, then faced Mikan. "No," he said firmly. "Let's go to where you want to go." He didn't want to ruin this perfect day for her. As much as possible, he wanted her to be happy—before the 'storm' of tomorrow comes.

Mikan furrowed her brows and argued, "B-but—"

"I'm fine now," he assured her. He stood up and helped her do so as well. "Just walk slower… and hold my hand."

She looked at him as he took her hand and intertwined it with his. He bent over and wiped her tears away with the back of his free hand.

"So, where to?" Natsume said, a small smile on his lips.

Mikan smiled and pointed to the huge Ferris wheel several meters away from where they were. Natsume nodded and started to walk with her beside him—their hands locked with each other's.

***

The warm sea breeze ruffled their locks as a flock of gulls flew over them. They were at standing behind the railings of the small yacht, watching the yellow-orange sky at the background of the sunset. Mikan stood with Natsume behind her—his one arm circled around her waist and the other one resting above her hand on the rails.

After riding the Ferris wheel and a couple of other rides, they headed back to the Odaiba Seaside Park for a special two-hour cruise along Tokyo Bay, complete with a romantic dinner inside the yacht. Mikan was so delighted because she didn't know that there was something like that, so they _pulled some strings _to get one of the yachts for themselves.

Natsume bent and brushed his lips against Mikan's cheek. He appreciated everything—the quiet, the refreshing breeze, the scenery, the ride…but none of those mattered if this girl in his arms wasn't present. In contrast to the serene atmosphere around them, his heart was screaming. He didn't want this to end. He didn't want tomorrow to come. He wanted so much to stay by her side…to continue to love her like this.

As the sky started to darken with the setting of the sun, Natsume felt Mikan tightening her grasp on his hand. He understood clearly how she felt. This wonderful day is nearly coming to an end. And then…the event that they both dreaded will come shortly after. She was afraid. He was too.

"Mikan…" Natsume whispered her name as the breeze carried her strawberry scent into his nostrils.

She slowly shifted from her position to face him. Her bright smile was gone—she had a calm and resolute look on her face that pained him just to see it. He knew she was trying hard to suppress all her emotions, so that she wouldn't break down. But her true feelings were as clear as tonight's moon for him.

Natsume brushed some of her auburn locks away from her face as he continued to look at her earnestly—to let her know how strongly he felt for her. She, too, met his crimson orbs…her gaze unwavering, conveying the same feelings she had for him. It was a love that no one could break… a love that would last, a love that would endure anything. _Anything._

He slowly moved his hands and fished something from his pocket. Mikan followed his movements with her eyes. When he took _it_ out, her eyes widened in shock, stunning her speechless.

"Mikan," Natsume firmly addressed her, a black box in his hand. He gently opened it, showing a pair of silver bands. "I know this isn't enough…" he started, his voice tense. "But, with this… I promise you." He gazed straight into Mikan's hazel orbs, and she felt like he was staring straight into her heart. He took her left hand and inserted one of the silver bands into her little finger. He did the same with his own hand, and intertwined their hands together after.

He met her eyes once more. "I promise… I will love you _no matter what happens._ Memories…they are not enough to erase how much I feel for you. So trust me… and don't be afraid. Because I'm sure our love…can withstand anything," he uttered, each word firm and emphasized—a _promise_. A promise that Natsume Hyuuga wouldn't break.

Mikan felt her eyes started to brim with tears. She threw herself into his arms and sobbed. No words could explain how she felt. Love, pain, relief, fear—all of those overwhelmed in her chest, causing her unstoppable tears. But _this…_hearing this from Natsume…she felt whole again. All her worries, all her fears…one by one, Natsume's words and assurance of his feelings took them away. She could never find the right words to say—she was happy, she felt strong, like she could take on any obstacle from now on. Because she knew he would be there…_no matter what happens._

Natsume tightened his arms around her and let her cry. He silently hoped that Mikan believed him. He knew that whatever pain and troubles she would have after this, the only thing he could give her is the strength behind his words…and his love for her behind this promise. He took in a deep breath and kissed the top of her head. He would be lying if he said that he himself wasn't overwhelmed with a cascade of feelings. But one particular emotion screamed inside him, screamed so loud—love. Love for this woman. He doubted he could ever put into words how much he did love her.

"T-thank you Natsume…" Mikan muttered in between her sobs. "I…I will trust you. I'll try not to be afraid…" she continued, clutching his shirt. She started to shed more tears, while Natsume continued to comfort her by softly caressing her back.

Mikan pulled back and looked him in the eye. "I love you, Natsume…"

'_I do too,' _he wordlessly replied, expressing it through a lingering kiss. _'God knows, how much I do…'_

As if someone divine heard his thoughts, a shooting star grazed the moonlit sky.

***

No one spoke.

After their cruise, they quietly rode the car back to the academy, and no one spoke a single word. After reaching the gates of the academy, Mikan wordlessly slipped with Natsume through the weakened barrier at exactly 8 in the evening using her Nullification, granting an electrocute-free return for them.

On their way to the dormitories, still, no words between them. Natsume wordlessly decided to send Mikan off to her room and stay with her until she falls asleep. He was anxious to leave her alone since she might get depressed and lonely like the night before. Mikan, on the other hand, was preoccupied with _something_…but remained silent as she continued to grasp tight onto Natsume's hand.

When they reached Mikan's three-star room, the flame-caster went ahead inside while the brunette trailed behind him, closing the door. Natsume was about to switch on the light when Mikan suddenly hugged him tight from behind, freezing his hand which was just a couple of centimetres away from the light switch.

"Mikan…?" he whispered, wondering why she embraced him out-of-the-blue like that. He felt Mikan shudder despite the warm temperature of the room. The first thing that entered his mind was, _'Is she ill or something?'_

"N-Natsume, I—" she started in a tiny voice. Before Natsume could ask what was wrong with her, Mikan spun him to face her and met his lips with hers.

Surprise was, of course, an understatement. There was definitely something strange with Mikan…she wasn't like this—_this_ aggressive. But as Mikan's soft sweet lips continued to dominate his, he found it harder and harder to think. Throwing whatever what was inside his head, he gathered Mikan into his arms and met her passionate kiss with a more fervent manner. He caressed her back as he continued to taste the sweetness of her lips, and when she moaned—creating an opening for him to explore the depths of her mouth—he eagerly entered, his tongue meeting hers, ardent with heat and passion.

In the midst of a smothering lip-lock, both of them felt it when they hit the bed. Natsume, not pulling away from Mikan's lips, hoisted her carefully on the bed and situated himself on top of her. Her hands started to caress his back, while he lifted his mouth away from hers and started to trace soft kisses on the crook of her neck, down to her shoulder blades. Mikan let out a soft moan, firing up Natsume more. He hastened to unzip Mikan's dress and slide it down to uncover her petite frame, his eyes meeting her almost naked body—only clad with a pair of soft pink laced undergarments.

'_Beautiful,' _his mind shouted, as Mikan met his crimson pools with a _pleading _look—sending a tempting rage of fire to his member. He bent down once more to kiss her hungrily, cupping one of her breasts and giving it a gentle squeeze. Mikan moaned once more, reaching out to Natsume to take his shirt off. Free from his top, he then trailed butterfly kisses from her neck down to her brassiere-covered chests and unclasped the garment with ease. The sight caught his breath—but he didn't waste time, he bent down to cover her pink nipples with his mouth, nibbling it, tasting and inhaling its strawberry scent—while his hand cupped the other exposed breast. Mikan arched her back and moaned, clutching a fistful of his dishevelled raven-hair as she drowned in ecstasy.

As Natsume continued to work wonders on Mikan's body, he couldn't help but think he was already in heaven. All this time, ever since he hit the cursed stage of puberty, he imagined countless times how it would be like to make love with his girlfriend—_his_ Mikan. Seeing her childish physique turn into a stunning combination of womanly curves and her once-flat chest growing into a pair of fuller and gorgeous breasts—he always knew it would be 'heaven' to have her like this. But still, that was an understatement. He could never put into words how he felt right now, and he knew—this was something he would definitely _remember_—

The final word felt like he was bathed with ice-cold water, making him stop. Natsume pulled away from Mikan, staring at her blankly.

Surprised with the sudden pause, Mikan slowly opened her eyes, only to meet a disturbed look from Natsume. All of a sudden, she felt cold.

She wrapped her arms around her body and met his eyes. "N-Natsume..?"

Natsume shifted himself from his position on top of her and sat down on the small space on the side of the bed. Without looking, he handed Mikan the end of the blanket—beckoning her to wrap her nakedness with the cloth. She silently followed him, her heart still beating fast from the sudden turn of events—from a heated encounter to…_this. _She felt like crying. _'Why is he so…cold? Is he angry that I… I seduced him, or what?'_ she thought, feeling extremely sad and guilty.

He clutched a fistful of his raven hair and let out an exasperated sigh. He mouthed a silent profanity. "Mikan, I—"

A sob filled the quiet room. Natsume quickly spun his head to Mikan's direction, only to see her eyes staring distantly at him, tears flowing from her hazel orbs. He swiftly leaned close to her and took her into his arms. "W-wait, Mikan, I—"

"I-I'm sorry, Natsume…" Mikan whispered in between her sobs. "D-don't be angry, I was just—"

Natsume cut her off with a kiss. He swiftly pulled away and locked her with his crimson orbs.

"Baka," he said. "I'm not angry…" he gently muttered, caressing her right cheek. "I just… thought that—this wouldn't be right. So I stopped."

Mikan looked at him with questioning eyes. He sighed. "I don't want to do _this_ to you… then just forget about it," he explained, his eyes averting a bit from hers. "I…I want to make love to you…but I want it to be etched in my memory forever—I want to remember every single detail of it, every single detail of _you,_" he continued, his face flushing red.

She too, felt heat creeping up her cheeks. "Natsume…"

He embraced her tight. "After this _trial _between us… when we see each other again, I will make love to you…make you happy…" he murmured. He planted a kiss on her hair. "And when you graduate from the academy, I will marry you…create a family with you…" he continued, chanting the words as if they were some mantra. But he was serious. He will only have her—no one but her, in the future.

Mikan felt helplessly overwhelmed with happiness at his words. She hugged him back tight, never wanting to let go. She wanted him…loved him… only him.

"If that's a proposal… Then I'd have to say yes, Natsume Hyuuga," she said, from the bottom of her heart.

She heard Natsume chuckle softly and kiss her hair once more.

"It's an _order_, Mikan Sakura."

She couldn't help but smile.

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**A/N: There's an order from Natsume :p He said... Leave some reviews. Who could resist the handsome flame-caster?? So, reviews please! :)  
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	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Gakuen Alice belongs to Higuchi Tachibana. Not Stolen is created by me, and OCs Demi, Principal Ichinose, etc.

**A/N: A relatively short-_er_ chapter ahead. Just had to cut it since it would end up extremely long . In any case, still, enjoy. ^^And thank you very much to all those who reviewed/favorited the story and me--THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I assure you that Not Stolen won't be ending yet, there are still twists after the Extraction, so keep reading and keep reviewing too :)**

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**CHAPTER NINE: ENTRUSTING AND ASSURING  
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Mikan shifted from her seat and subconsciously gripped Natsume's hand tighter. She was nervous…_like hell. _Everyone inside the room was silent, making her all the more fidgety. Today was _the day_—Natsume's Alice Extraction. Inside one the private suites of the headmasters located at the infirmary's premises, were Mikan, Natsume, and the three division principals of Alice Academy. Everyone was quietly sitting around a ceramic tea table in the living room—_waiting._

Natsume, sensing her anxiety, gave her an assuring look. He wore his usual stoic face—Mikan could normally read what his countenance is hiding, but _today,_ he was very hard to read. She didn't know what exactly he was thinking or feeling, and that made her a tenfold more uneasy. Mikan tried her best to calm down by inhaling and exhaling…repeating it again and again, _again and again._

A voice broke the eerie silence in the room. "Mikan…Are you alright?"

Mikan looked up to meet the sharp eyes of the owner of the voice—her uncle, the High School Principal. Beyond his formal demeanor, concern was clearly etched on his face. Mikan, startled, faked a laugh.

"Y-yes, sorry, I'm alright," she answered, realizing the way she was inhaling and exhaling before appeared like she was hyperventilating or something.

Kazu simply nodded and took a quick glance at the wall clock above the fireplace.

"They will be arriving in a couple of minutes," he voiced, sternly looking at the couple in front of him. "Are you ready?" he asked, directing it to both Natsume and Mikan.

Instead of looking at each other, the two young students averted their gazes from each other and remained silent. The Middle School Principal raised a brow. _'Of course not,' _she thought. A hint of pity grazed her usually menacing features. She knew the situation was hard for them both, and what lied ahead was as difficult as a path of thorns.

The sound of the door lock clicking caught everyone's attention. Silhouettes of a young girl and a man in his thirty's dawned at the entrance of the room, making Natsume stand up. Mikan, too, stood up in anticipation.

"Nii-chan!" a girly voice which sounded like it just hit puberty filled the once silent room. A raven-haired teen came running from the door towards the circle of people at the center of the room—specifically, towards the guy with the same raven locks as her.

Aoi Hyuuga.

She dashed to her elder brother and embraced him tight. "Nii-chan!" she exclaimed once more, happiness evident in her crimson orbs. Natsume smiled and patted her in the head. "_Buriko_," he muttered his 'pet name' for his younger sister. Aoi retorted with a pout, but was erased quickly as she hugged her brother once more.

Aoi, seeing Mikan beside her brother, squealed once more. "Mikan-chan!" She quickly strode over to where Mikan was standing and gave her a tight hug. "I missed you! How are you doing, Mikan-chan? Or…should I say, Nee-chan?" she said, followed by a teasing laugh.

Mikan blushed and laughed in embarrassment, softly pinching Aoi in the cheeks. "I'm fine, Aoi-chan, and I see you are too. I'm so happy to see you again," she said in a warm voice.

The long-haired man with Aoi soon followed the crowd, an apologetic smile on his cheerful countenance. "Sorry for Aoi barging in like that," he said, bowing his head to the three highest officials of the academy. "We're very honoured to meet you," Natsume's dad followed-up, bowing his head in courtesy once more.

Principal Ichinose let out a low laugh. "Don't worry about that. Pleased to meet you too, Mr. Hyuuga," he said, motioning everyone to sit down. Aoi and Natsume's dad took their places beside Natsume and Mikan on the long sofa.

Natsume held the brunette's hand once more, sending a message through a tight grip on her hand. Mikan met his crimson orbs and smiled reassuringly. _'We can do this,' _she thought, conveying the same thought to him. He nodded in response.

For the next couple of minutes, the headmasters explained to the Hyuuga family in detail what would take place today. They continuously expressed their apology in being the ones responsible for risking Natsume's life so far especially before the Alice War, thus the current predicament he was in. Natsume's dad looked pretty shocked by what his son had undergone, but silently continued to listen to the academy's officials. Aoi hugged her brother's left arm when Principal Kazu explained Natsume's current health condition—about his Alice overuse and the nearing of the final stage. Hii-sama continued by explaining the only method to save Natsume's life, giving Mikan meaningful glances as she chose her words carefully as to not hurt the brunette furthermore.

Everyone in the room looked at Mikan with different reactions when they heard the consequences of the method—disbelief, pity, appreciation, understanding, encouragement. The brunette had to clench her jaws tight to refrain from crying. _'I need to be strong,'_ she chanted to herself, which helped since the lump on her throat eventually faded away. She cast a glance at Natsume, who was staring with concerned eyes at her. When hazel met crimson—a silent exchange of feelings occurred—trust, assurance, strength…and _love._ Mikan felt her chest tightened with a swell of emotions. She smiled at Natsume, who in turn, answered her with a squeeze on their intertwined hands.

"It might be best for Hyuuga-kun's health after the extraction if he wouldn't encounter a huge amount of shock, especially regarding his memories. So, as much as we want him to remember as soon as possible, it would be wise to give him one to two weeks allowance to recover before telling him the truth of his memories," Principal Ichinose advised, sending an apologetic look to Natsume and Mikan. He continued, "We couldn't guarantee if Hyuuga-kun could remember everything on his own since this is a first case for the academy too, so I would advise you as his family to be careful in inducing the recovery of his memories. The Academy wouldn't mind too if he recalls or if you remind him about being an Alice before, since telling lies might confuse him when he recovers his memories."

Principal Kazu cleared his throat after the Elementary School Principal's explanation.

"This is the best that we could do for your son, Mr. Hyuuga. After the extraction, Hyuuga-kun will be completely returned to the world outside—as a normal, non-Alice boy. However, as amendments for the Academy's faults, we will continue to send stipends for your family and Hyuuga-kun. Also, whatever medical assistance and queries you might have regarding his condition after the extraction, you can contact the Academy anytime."

After a short span of silence, Mr. Hyuuga nodded and cast a reassuring look at his son. Natsume responded in a curt nod.

"Oh, Hyuuga-kun…" Hii-sama called out, catching everyone's attention once more. "About your Alice Stone after the extraction—"

Natsume, understanding what she meant, wore a solemn face and answered in a firm voice.

"Mikan will hold on to it," he replied, seeing the Middle School Principal wear a satisfied smile. Natsume turned to the speechless brunette beside him and mumbled, low but loud enough for everyone to hear. "_It_ belongs to you," he stated, sending complex meaning to his words.

Mikan felt tears sting her eyes. She understood, _of course, _just like the promise he made to her yesterday. Entrusting her his Life Force Alice Stone—meant that he entrusted her with _himself, _with his _whole being_. He meant that _he _belonged to her. A tear rolling down her cheeks, she replied with a smile and a nod. Natsume pulled her closer to her and kissed her hair, telling her to stop crying.

Everyone watched silently as the pure and honest expression of love unfold before their very eyes. Each one of them wished for the welfare of their relationship after this important event. Everyone appreciated Mikan's strength for sacrificing a big deal for Natsume's sake.

Principal Kazu had to cut off the grave silence, knowing the couple might need a little bit more of time together.

"Mikan, Room No. 715 downstairs would be where the extraction will take place. I assume you already know what to do from there on. Mr. and Ms. Hyuuga will be staying with me at this suite until the extraction is over. They would be escorting Hyuuga-kun soon after the operation, since we couldn't let students see him leave the academy grounds with his parents."

Mikan already knew about Natsume leaving as soon as the operation is finished, but she couldn't help but freeze at the thought. She wouldn't see him for long right after. The thought made her want to cry once more, but the words of her uncle resounded in her head.

"_I know it's difficult, Mikan… But the more you see him without his memories, the more you will be hurt. That's why, this is better for you too,"_ _Kazu convinced his niece during their short conversation regarding the final directions about the extraction._

Natsume cast a worried glance at Mikan, but she did her best not to look troubled about it. This was part of her sacrifice after all, she thought. She just needed to be strong.

"With that said, we must take our leave now. You can stay here for the moment, or you can go outside for the meantime… talk to your friends, take a walk around, whatever you want. However, keep in mind that the extraction must start at 15:00. That's all," Principal Ichinose reminded Natsume and Mikan. The brunette averted her gaze, unable to hide the pain in her eyes. It was as if the _end _was closing in on her.

"It was a pleasure having you as a student of Alice Academy, Natsume Hyuuga," Principal Kazu proclaimed, his voice warm and honest. "Your great sacrifices to help cure the illness of Alice Academy that had continued for almost a century due to Kuonji… will always be remembered."

Natsume sharply took in a deep breath and looked at the three headmasters, his family, and finally…a lingering one on Mikan. He faced the Academy's officials once more, and said the following words in a firm and heart-warming voice.

"I'm glad… that I came to Alice Academy."

Everyone smiled in appreciation and understanding… while Mikan wasn't unable to refrain from crying once more. She felt relieved—that all her efforts of changing Natsume's viewpoints about the Academy, of showing him that darkness was over and now he had to see the light all around him—_all of those _wasn't in vain. She was happy for him. And she hoped, too, that he will find happiness in his new environment as part of the normal society after.

***

"Eh, Hotaru did!?" Mikan asked, totally surprised with what Natsume just mentioned.

The flame-caster nodded indifferently. "She showed up in front of my room, gave this, and threatened me," he replied, scoffing at the memory. The inventor _threatened _him to do his best to remember Mikan—as if he won't—and told him that he would certainly shoot his head with her Baka Cannon if he ever forgets to remember about Mikan. _'What the hell,' _Natsume thought, still not able to be in 'good' terms with his girlfriend's best friend.

Mikan let out an amused laugh. "Haha, that's just like her. Well, she's just probably worried, that's why she went to all the trouble to make something like this…" she said enthusiastically, examining the _thing _in front of them, laying above the table.

Aoi curiously peered at the red box. "Ne, what's inside the box?"

Mikan, also clueless of what the contents were, looked at Natsume with questioning eyes. Natsume shrugged, _'Nothing. Just pictures,' _he thought of answering, but when he recalled he put something on his own as well, he thought otherwise. "Memories," he simply replied.

Both girls exclaimed simultaneously. "Really!?" If Natsume hadn't known better, they could pass off for sisters. Well, technically, in the future, they _would be_, he thought amusingly.

The brunette touched the box, looking pensive. "Memory box, huh?" she muttered to herself. She cast a glance at Natsume, smiling. "You think this will restore all your memories?"

The guy pulled her closer to him, her head resting on his shoulder. "Of course, Polka. Who knows, I might not even need that. But…just to be sure."

Aoi giggled. "Then, I'll be the one holding on to this special box right? To make sure that Nii-chan recovers his memories, and remembers Mikan-chan!"

The couple blushed and shifted in their seats, both sitting up straight. The younger Hyuuga continued to chuckle when she saw their reactions.

"Shut up, _Buriko_," Natsume grumbled, still a bit red from the unexpected 'assault' from his sister. "You should do your job well and protect that box, or else I will feed you to the wolves, _ugly brat_," he threatened, half-serious and of course, half-joking.

Aoi stuck out her tongue and grabbed the box on the table and hugged it. "I will definitely protect this, Nii-chan! So don't you worry, you will be all lovey-dovey with Mikan-chan again as soon as you remember," she said, still giggling tauntingly at the couple.

Natsume rolled his eyes while Mikan laughed embarrassingly. The couple exchanged meaningful looks.

"Stay here with _Buriko _for the while, Polka," Natsume said when the laughter between the two girls died. "I'm going to go out to see Ruka, Youichi, and the others… before—" he dragged his sentence, not wanting to ruin the good atmosphere, so he quickly started another one. "I'll be back before lunch."

Mikan smiled and nodded. Natsume stood up, bent down and gently touched her right cheek, giving her a gaze saying I'll-be-back-soon, then strode on towards the door out of the suite, his hands inside his pockets. The brunette followed him with her hazel orbs, feeling a bit sad to see his leaving form.

The anticipated gloom soon evaporated when Aoi exclaimed, "Yay! Time for girl-to-girl talk!"

The nullifier laughed when the young Hyuuga started bombarding her with questions—starting from the conspicuous silver band she wore on her little finger. Mikan indulged in answering the young girl, her mind empty of the anxiety she should have regarding the extraction later this afternoon. _For the meantime._

***

"Natsume," Mikan called out his name, her unwavering gaze still on the soft ripples of the water in the pond.

After having lunch together, both of them took a walk around the academy grounds, and ended up staying at one of their secret spots—the hidden pond deep in the Northern Woods. Mikan had found this place a year ago when she was running mindlessly, after having a huge spat with Natsume at their Sakura Tree. She was so upset that she didn't know where she was going, and when she ended up here, she calmed down, but she realized she didn't knew where she was. She was afraid to leave the place, but when it started to rain, she cowered near the tree trunk just in front of the pond and cried. After quite a while, she fell asleep…and was awoken by a worried and rain-drenched Natsume. After making up, they both started hanging out at the peaceful place when they had time, or if they wanted to be together alone.

Natsume cast a glance at Mikan. He noticed that the brunette's gloomy aura had come back, and she looked terribly nervous. He reached out to hold her hand—it was _cold. _He felt sympathy wash over him, knowing that she was suffering this much…because of him. _'Damn,' _he cursed himself, desperately trying to think of what to tell her.

"E-everything will be alright…ne, Natsume?" Mikan asked in a tiny voice, her tone frantically pleading for an assuring answer.

He silently mouthed another profanity. He wasn't good with words…and he didn't know what to tell her now. He stared at her, completely in dilemma of what good to say to her. Finding nothing, he pulled her close and embraced her tight.

"You will remember me, right, Natsume?" Mikan asked once more, her voice now broken. She started to sob on his chest, while he continued to hold her tight—savoring the few moments he had left with her.

He kissed the top of her head and whispered. "Don't worry, I will," he assured, and added with emphasis, "—_Definitely_."

Mikan gently pulled from his embrace and wiped her tears away. She looked up to meet Natsume's crimson orbs, _searching_ _for something_. He returned her gaze, feeling lost in her hazel orbs—her eyes, her features, her _entirety. _Natsume wanted to etch every single detail of her in his mind, _carve _her into his system, so as not to forget—so as to remember. He tenderly traced the contours of her face with his fingers, carefully, slowly… memorizing every detail of her, letting his eyes drown with her whole being—until he was confident that she was _there…_concrete, alive, present in his mind. He prayed it was enough, _enough _to just even recognize her, to minimize her pain by just even remembering her name, what she looked like, who she was.

"Give me strength to overcome _this with you_, Natsume…" she whispered, still locked inside his crimson pools, searching for strength, searching for confidence—just like what he had been all along to her: a pillar, an undying support, a never-ending source of strength and willpower—the _missing piece of herself._

Natsume slowly bent down, closing the little distance between them, until his lips eventually reached hers. As his own found its rightful place with hers, like _a lock _it was—just right, just perfect, inescapable—as he drowned into the sensation of tasting her sweet strawberry lips, he just knew…he was hers and she was his. Their lips danced their own lovely rhythm—slow, sure, in accord with each other. Perfectly molded into one another's—there was no he or she—just _them._

Slowly, hesitatingly…the lip-lock came to a stop. It was as hard as pulling off a magnet from steel. But humans need air—and the kiss inevitably had to halt.

Mikan stared at Natsume. "I love you," she whispered, burying her head on her chest, clutching onto him tight.

Natsume held on to her left hand on his chest, the silver promise rings, as if drawn together, sat firmly on their little fingers—_side by side_. Not wanting to part. A sign that either won't be complete without the other.

"I love you too," he muttered, followed by a soft 'I'll fulfill my promise', before stooping down to kiss her once more.

A soft beep interrupted the solemn moment between them. _It was time._

Mikan looked at Natsume with a resolute gaze. "Let's go," she said in a firm voice.

He nodded, held her hand close to his chest, and teleported to Room 715 of the Alice Academy Infirmary.

* * *

**A/N: Next chapter: The long-awaited (...or not) moment of the Extraction. I planned to put it in this chapter but it would leave a major cliffy so I trimmed it :D**

**So, please leave some reviews. ^_^ Anything is welcome: praises, comments, suggestions, _death threats_, or whatever (except flames :p)... lemme hear from you! :) If you review, the currently teleporting Natsume and Mikan might end up in front of you and not at the infirmary, haha! :D**


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Gakuen Alice belongs to Tachibana Higuchi.

**A/N: Long chapter ahead. No further ado. Read on. ^^**

* * *

**CHAPTER TEN: REALITY CRASHES IN**

Natsume sat down the hospital bed, while Mikan pulled a stool closer to the bed and sat down as well. An awkward moment of silence fleeted across them, but neither moved nor tried to break it. Natsume continued to stare at Mikan, while she kept her eyes on her hands placed on her lap. She couldn't bring herself to _start_…if she met his thoughtful bloodshot eyes.

She was _scared_. She thought she had all the courage and strength she needed—but nevertheless, she was afraid. Afraid to do it, afraid to make a mistake, afraid that Natsume would forget about her despite his assurance that he wouldn't—

Mikan felt a warm hand touch hers, squeezing it tight. Her heart stopped for an instant as her gaze landed on _gentle_ crimson pools. Orbs that _pledged _encouragement… and _love_.

"Mikan," Natsume muttered softly, loud for only her to hear. "Everything will be alright," he reassured, giving her hand a tender grip.

She felt her eyes glisten with tears, but before they could fall, she closed her eyes and breathed in. _'Yes, everything's going to be alright,'_ she chanted to herself, breathing out and in once more.

She felt warm, soft lips on hers—comforting, moving her wavering heart. She savored the kiss, answering, as if saying 'thank you'—the message slowly but surely being conveyed between them... in a sweet brush of their lips.

He pulled away, but kept the close gap between them, and whispered. "_I'll be back within a week,_" he emphasized, obviously pertaining to the recovery of his memories. She didn't need to ask how he was going to do it. _The memory box_, of course.

When Mikan kept silent, Natsume tugged on the ring on her little finger with his. "Until then, be strong. _I will remember," _he said, stressing his words, determination in his voice.

Mikan slowly nodded and smiled her genuine smile. She gave Natsume a short peck on the lips and stood up from the chair. He just followed her every single movement with his gaze. She went over to the side table, picked up a small pouch, and started shuffling through its contents. She pulled out a middle-sized brown lacquered box and slowly tread back to the stool facing where he sat.

She opened the box and took out a purplish alice stone—the Amplification Alice, he recognized. Mikan nodded when she saw him give a knowing stare at the stone. She placed the empty box beside Natsume on the bed.

"I'm going to keep your Alice Stone here after the extraction," she muttered, referring to the box, as she hanged the Amplification alice stone necklace on her neck.

Natsume watched her as she placed the necklace near her chest, when he remembered something. He clutched the necklaces carefully situated near his own chest. One holding the Healing stone given by his mother and the Teleportation stone entrusted to him by Yuka. The other one was Mikan's Nullification Stone necklace—the one she gave him before for the Alice Stone Exchange ritual.

"I'll—" Natsume started, "—keep it," he continued, but was startled to hear Mikan say the same thing simultaneously. The brunette smiled at him. "Yeah…You might not be able to use it anymore, but…keep it," she said, the sunny smile still on her face.

He nodded thoughtfully. The stones—his mother, Yuka, and Mikan's—were proof of the promises he was keeping, after all. A promise to protect, a promise to _love._

"You want to do it sitting or lying down?" Mikan asked, oblivious to the weird double-meaning her question held. Natsume shot an incredulous look at her, stifling a low chuckle when he saw she, of course, didn't mean _that _at all.

"What?" the brunette asked, curious as to why Natsume started laughing all of a sudden. Natsume just shrugged and whispered, "Stupid as ever", though Mikan didn't hear it and just continued to stare at him disbelievingly.

Ignoring his amusement over the matter, he replied. "You're not going to do some surgical operation on me anyway, so let's just sit," he grumbled, but quickly continued when he thought of something. "—Or, am I going to lose consciousness or whatever after?"

Mikan scratched her head. "Y-yeah, well… I think so. Actually, I think it would hurt for a bit along the way, but nothing you can't stand, I guess," she explained.

Natsume shrugged. "Well, I guess so. Anyway, I don't want to lie down, so… y'know, maybe—I'll just lean on your shoulder while you do it, Polka," he said, quite embarrassed for suggesting something cheesy. "Just lie me down as soon as I faint or whatever," he continued, still averting his gaze.

The brunette giggled. "Sure, Natsume."

Natsume looked at her, expecting she would say something more, but when she didn't and when their eyes locked on each other—another long solemn silence enveloped them. Each one of them was _hesitant_—knowing that they were left now with no choice but to _start_.

Not wanting to make things harder for his girlfriend, Natsume reached out and pulled Mikan towards him, enveloping her petite frame into a tight embrace.

"I love you," he whispered sincerely. He felt Mikan nod her head and answer with the same words, her voice a bit shaky. He gave her back a soft tap of assurance and slowly pulled away. When their gazes locked, Mikan smiled, and grabbed Natsume's left hand—the promise rings side by side once again.

Understanding she was prepared to start, he leaned over and rested his head on her left shoulder. He closed his eyes and inhaled her strawberry scent—savoring it, letting it whirl around his system, instilling it in his mind. He felt her squeeze his hand tight.

"Keep your eyes closed and don't move," he heard Mikan murmur, readiness on her voice. He softly nodded, closing his eyes. She placed her right hand on her chest, on the Amplification stone, and closed her eyes as well.

Natsume felt warm. He could feel the soft tinges of Mikan's Stealing Alice work its way through his system, aiming for the core—the _source_—of his Fire Alice. The first few moments felt the same with when you were injected with some heavy dose of medicine—Natsume was aware of every gush of Mikan's power penetrating his body, _searching…_searching for his own power. The sensation continued for a lengthy while—he was starting to grow warmer and warmer every second, but he didn't dare to move an inch. He softly breathed in and out—Mikan's strawberry scent filling his senses, mixing with the odd sensation his body was having due to his Alice extraction. It was _bitter-sweet, _sending dozens of unidentified twinges on his head.

Mikan, on the other hand, concentrated hard on finding the core of Natsume's alice, her not-so experienced Stealing Alice being supported by Tono-senpai's Amplification alice. She could feel the huge surges of her power filling Natsume's whole system—each corner and part of his body left unexplored by the stream of tinges from her own alice. And then she found _it._

Then there was a sudden pang of _pain, _making Natsume jerk for a bit. He felt Mikan stiffen when he did that, but his awareness of her actions was further blurred when a hail of pricks and throbs started to overwhelm his whole body. Natsume had to breathe in a huge amount of air when he felt a certain part near his heart started to cramp. At the corner of his still sane thoughts, he could hear Mikan starting to pant. He tried hard to ignore the pain engulfing him—just like he used to…after missions, when he came home all injured.

Mikan nearly whimpered when she felt the pain that Natsume was suppressing. She wasn't aware that going deeper to encounter his alice made her, to an extent, feel the same way he was feeling. She couldn't believe that she was the one causing him _this _kind of pain. But she had no right to stop…they were already _near. _She concentrated her power nearby his _core_, sucking the soft and weakening twinges of Natsume's Fire Alice.

Natsume's head started to swirl with dizziness when an unbelievable speed of flashbacks of his whole life started to run through his mind. Children playing. Fireworks. Green fields. Escapes from house to house. Academy people. Ruka. Aoi having a fever. Walls of fire. Burning village. His father crying. Missions. Dead people. Being bullied. Numerous attempts to escape the Academy. _Mikan. _He shut his eyes harder when the memories cascaded so fast, sending surges of pain in his head. He wanted to _see_, wanted to keep those memories. More and more flew by, being sucked away. He felt a dark blanket of loneliness as those memories started to slip away from his mind. _Mikan. Mikan. _Sakura Tree. Class 2B. Christmas Dance. First kiss. _Mikan. _Sports Festival. Indirect confessions. _Mikan. _Mikan leaving the Academy, telling him she loved him. _Mikan. Mikan…!_

Mikan felt her tears flow from her closed eyes. She saw every single bit of it… _everything. _His memories. Everything. One by one, being sucked by her powers, like a black hole, slipping away from his system. She cried as she saw for herself Natsume's dark and lonely life before… cried when she saw herself. When she saw how he looked at her in a special way, all along, since they were 10. Her Stealing Alice continued to surge streams of power inside Natsume, taking every particle of his Fire Alice, taking his memories, taking them _all. _She felt afraid. She couldn't stop her power anymore, it was emptying Natsume slowly of everything he had—sucking his and _their _important memories. More tears welled from her eyes when she felt his alice _essence _starting to become bare. The end was near. But, she had to do something, at least…try _something_ to keep some of the memories. She didn't want to be forgotten.

Natsume was surprised when a familiar voice rang inside his head. _Natsume. Natsume… It's coming to an end… I'm sorry… Natsume. Natsume… _He desperately tried to answer but it seems like Mikan couldn't hear him. She continued to call out his name. _Natsume… Natsume. I'm sorry. I love you… I love you, I don't want you to forget about me. Please… Please, remember. Please remember me—_

He was about to shout so she could hear, shout that he will and that he loves her too… but before he could, _darkness _engulfed his whole system.

The last thing he felt was…drops of tears falling on his hand on Mikan's lap.

***

Mikan carefully laid Natsume down on the bed, gently situating his head properly on the pillow. She put his hands on each of his side, and pulled a blanket over him, stopping just right before his chest. Her intent gaze never kept off him—on his peaceful facial features, his even breathing, some of his messy raven locks falling on his face. He looked like he was _sleeping. _Peacefully.

She lifelessly sat on the stool, pulling it near the bed, allowing herself to stay with him a little more while, to look at him _this close. _She stared at him, her tears threatening to flow once more. She held his hand with her free hand—the other gripping a huge crimson stone tight.

"_You're safe now, Natsume…" _she wordlessly said, tears starting to roll from her eyes. _"Your life is not in danger anymore. You'll be out of this academy, you'll be free…you'll be with your family, and start living a normal life…" _she continued, loneliness engulfing her. She should be happy, but she was undeniably scared. Afraid that he might not remember after all. That this would be the end of them.

However, remembering his words to her before, she gathered all her strength to wipe her tears away and stop crying.

"_Until then, be strong. I will remember."_

Mikan nodded and stifled an empty laugh at herself for being stupid and a coward. He promised. He wouldn't break it. He will remember. Countless times, he assured her of that. And he was determined to be able to remember _within a week. _That would be short…right? She just needed to be strong. She promised to be. _That's why there's no use to cry, _she scolded herself, suddenly feeling rejuvenated after thinking that she would only need to wait a week for him to remember. Then everything will be alright. Just like he promised.

She cast a short glance on him once more before standing up. She grabbed the brown box on the bed and put Natsume's Life Force Alice Stone inside, then covered it. She went over to the side table and put it inside her small pouch, in exchange, taking out a black cellular phone.

According to directions, after the Alice extraction, she must call her Uncle Kazu to report. After that they will give Natsume time to rest, and when he wakes up, he will be taken by his family outside of the academy through the main gate.

She looked at the slumbering raven-haired man she loved. She was still unsure whether or not she could send him off later when he goes home. She too was still hesitant to call the High School Principal right now, knowing she would have to leave soon after. But, she thought, they might think something went wrong with the extraction if she took too long to report.

She decided to call now. After walking a good distance away from Natsume's bed, Mikan started pressing some buttons. A ring from the other line was heard.

"Yes, Mikan," Principal Kazu's baritone voice came in the line. Mikan inhaled and exhaled before speaking.

"It's done," she said briefly, glancing at Natsume. "And…he's safe now."

She heard her uncle sigh in relief. "I will tell the good news to the Hyuuga family and the Elementary and Middle School principals."

"Please do," she answered.

"Thank you very much for your hard work, Mikan. You did great," Kazu said, his tone appreciative. He continued. "We will be there in a couple of minutes."

Mikan nodded despite being on the phone. "Yes, Uncle."

She hanged up and faced the direction where Natsume was sleeping. She almost dropped the cellphone at what she saw.

Natsume's head was moving a bit from side to side, his face scrunched up with pain, as he let out groans. Mikan froze. _Did something go wrong!? _ she nervously asked herself as she frantically ran towards him.

"Natsume?" she called out, gripping his hand tight. More groans from him, beads of sweat forming on his face.

"Natsume?" Mikan called once more, leaning over and touching his forehead if he had fever or what. None.

His groaning stopped as soon as she touched him. His uneven breathing started to calm down too, making Mikan sigh in relief. She sat down beside him, still clutching his hand.

Mikan stared at him, still pondering why he suddenly started groaning in pain like that, when the _next thing _that happened caught her totally off guard.

Natsume slowly opened his eyes. As he did, Mikan's eyes started to widen in surprise, making her stand up, her hand still holding his. It was impossible. Recovering from the extraction in less than an hour.

"N-Natsu…me…" she whispered as she kept staring at him when he fully opened his eyes. Natsume kept looking at the ceiling for a moment, regaining his senses.

He looked around—the ceiling, white walls, the window on the far side of the room, the side table beside him having only a small pouch on top of it. When his eyes landed on the only person inside with him—a brunette, staring in disbelief and concern at him—he felt a sudden pang on his head. He squinted in pain, and was about to put his hand above his forehead, when he felt an alien force holding it back. He ignored the twinge in his head and tried his best to open his eyes once more.

Mikan was about to approach him and ask if he was alright when she saw pain write all over his face, when she saw his crimson orbs land on his hand still being held by her. She quickly released it when realization hit her.

She was about to apologize when his next words struck her speechless.

"Who are you?"

***

Mikan felt her face go pale and her whole body drain with energy when those three words sunk in.

"_Who are you?," Natsume said. His eyes were empty of all recognition of her. Of the affection he had for her just hours ago._

She felt her knees buckle, making her hold on to the chair she was sitting at before, for support. He had _forgotten_. Natsume forgot her. She knew this should be expected, but when faced with the _reality _of it—all her strength and hopes crumbled. He didn't recognize her anymore. Tears started to stream down from her hazel orbs.

Natsume's eyes widened when he saw the brunette start to cry. He was already shocked when he saw her go pale and stagger backwards after he spoke, but when she started to cry, he felt confused…and awful. _'What did I do?' _he asked himself, sure that his tone when he asked her who she was, was rude or anything at all.

Or… Did she cry because he asked her who she was?

Natsume tried his best to sit up, reaching out to her. The girl in front of him continued to back away, crying a waterfall of tears, still staring at him incredulously. But there was one thing in her eyes that striked him hard in the chest—_that pain _she held in those beautiful _hazel _orbs.

Hazel?

The thought striked him too, but it sent another painful pang in his head. He squinted again, losing sight of the tearful hazel eyes that stared back at him.

He instinctively opened his eyes once more when he heard footsteps. Natsume saw the brunette ran towards the side table, grabbed the pouch, and ran away from him towards the door.

"H-hey…!" he called out, ignoring the pouch she took off with, but called out because he _wanted her to stay._

'_Why?' _he asked himself, utterly confused with what's happening. And the unexplainable feeling he was having.

Before the door made its way home, he caught a final glance at the girl's leaving form. He noticed the glistening of tears fly by when she ran away, making his heart clench at the sight.

And without noticing it and not knowing how, when or why—he felt a single tear roll down on his cheek.

***

Mikan ran as fast as she could, not caring if doctors, nurses, and patients saw her crying hard as she ran away. She just had to get out _fast_ from there. She felt like dying.

"_Who are you?"_

Natsume's words still rang in her head, again and again, relentless. She tried to get her out of her mind because the memory just caused more tears, but _she damn couldn't._

She fell on her butt when she crashed hard with something… or rather, _someone._

"Mikan-chan!" a girly voice called out her name. Aoi's.

The brunette quickly wiped her tears away and accepted the hand offered by someone--probably the one whom she bumped--so she could stand up. She dusted her skirt and looked at the people in front of her, aware that there were still traces of tears in her face.

Aoi, Natsume's dad, her Uncle Kazu were surprised to see how Mikan looked. No one was able to speak, until Mikan's tears started to well up again.

"Mikan…" Principal Kazu voiced, putting a hand on top of her shoulder. _He knew. _He could guess what must've happened, why she was like that. It was one of the bitter expected things that had to come with _this._

"E-excuse me, Uncle, I… have to go," Mikan said in a tiny voice and bowed at the three people standing on front of her. "N-Natsume's…in there, he's okay," she added, then tried _unsuccessfully _to stop her tears from flowing.

"Mikan-chan…" Aoi muttered, hurt at what she was seeing. She had at least an idea of what could've happened why her onee-chan was crying, but still, she didn't want to see her like that.

"Take care of Natsume…for me," Mikan grumbled, the statement directed to both Hyuuga father and daughter, though she didn't dare meet their gazes at all. She was staring at the ground all the time.

With that said, the brunette bowed once more and started running away from them. Aoi called out her name once more, but her dad stopped her, giving her a look saying "Let her be for now." The three followed Mikan's retreating form with worried gazes.

***

Natsume glanced around and searched for a certain _girl _that had no doubt caught his attention—yet after doing so for a couple of times already, he was _disappointed_ that _she wasn't there._

He heaved out a sigh as he recalled the crying brunette he had encountered the moment he regained his senses. He had so many questions to ask her, and he wanted to see him once more before he leaves.

Yes, he was still confused even after some Principal Yukihara started to explain to him that he had an operation which caused him to lose memories, and that was why he only remembered his father and his sister. His dad told him that he was studying in this academy, but because of his current condition, his dad said that he had to come home for the meantime, so he could recover his memories naturally.

Natsume really didn't care to bother with the details, like what kind of operation he had and such. He was preoccupied with _that brunette. _After seeing her reaction and after she ran away, he couldn't take her mind off her. And that mysterious tear that came from his own eyes. He didn't recall ever having cried again after his mother's death…so it really bugged him that he ended up crying without knowing why—though he had a strong hunch that _the brunette _had something to do with it.

Mikan, on the other hand, was silently watching the Hyuuga family from afar. She hid behind a huge oak tree not several feet away from where the three were standing. She couldn't bring herself to show herself to Natsume after what happened, knowing she would just break down and cry again. She didn't want to confuse him any longer. _It was expected that he wouldn't remember her_, but—

She suddenly felt tears flowing from her eyes once more. She had cried much already before she came here, but here they were again—streaming down relentlessly. Mikan buried her tearful face on her hands and cried hard. She felt so sad knowing that Natsume was leaving. She didn't know when she would see him again…or if she ever will.

"Mikan-nee," a low baritone voice came from behind, startling her. She looked back to see the owner of the voice, traces of tears still evident from her face.

Youichi swiftly strode over to her. He seemed to have had problems lately with his Age-Changing Alice, thus he was stuck with his 14-year old version. He looked at her with unwavering olive orbs.

Mikan stared at him and asked, "W-why are you—"

"Because I know you would be crying," the gray-haired guy answered. He stood beside Mikan and reached out to her, pulling her close to him. Mikan, suddenly felt the need to be comforted, didn't move or pull away, instead, she clutched on Youichi's uniform and cried. The spirit manipulator stroke her head and let her cry away.

"Don't be so sad, Mikan-nee," he whispered, his fingers softly running through Mikan's auburn locks. "It will just be a week," he said, "—then Natsume-nii will remember you again."

Youichi felt her nod against his chest, though, still crying. He sighed and hugged her completely, letting her pour her emotions on him. It was the least he can do for his oneechan that he adored the most.

"Let's go," Natsume's dad said, opening the door of the black limousine in front of them. Aoi explained that the car for them to go home was going to be provided by the academy since Natsume might still feel dizzy after just recovering.

Natsume took a final gaze around, and when he didn't see any trace of the girl, he finally gave up and just ignored the millions of questions in his head. He went inside the car and sat on the far side, near the window. Aoi and his dad followed soon after. When they were all seated, the driver of the car shut the doors and walked over to the driver's seat. Natsume stared at the woods around the area they were at, wondering how huge this school was.

The machine of the car ignited, being the only audible thing around the silent Hyuuga family. Aoi was unnaturally silent too, her arms hugging a middle-sized bag that was shaped like a box. The girl was thoughtfully looking outside, just like him. His dad was incredibly silent too.

Natsume shrugged and returned gazing outside—when a specific sight caught his breath.

A silhouette was not too far away from where the car was, and he was _sure—_that the silhouette belonged to the brunette girl he was looking for all along. His eyes widened when he realized how near she actually was, and how he wasn't able to notice her there.

"_M-Mi—_" he whispered, trying to call out to her, but he stopped when he realized what he just blurted.

'Mi—'? He didn't know the girl's name. And he was sure that he wasn't about to call out 'Miss'. Then why the hell would he accidentally utter 'Mi—'?

The car started to move away from the spot they were at, away from the view of the girl that caught his attention. He strained to look at her silhouette very well, and just before the car started to move faster away, what he saw made his breath stop.

_Silhouettes._

She was not alone.

And she was in the arms of a man.

* * *

**A/N: Spent an all-nighter for this. *faints***

**Mikan: The poor author~ Well, she made me cry the whole chapter anyway .**

**Natsume: And let me see you hug another man too, tch.**

**Author: *wakes up again* I'm cruel coz I'm broken-hearted too :p Anyway, REVIEWS PLEASE!!!!  
**


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: As much as I want to, Gakuen Alice is not mine. This story is, though, and the OCs with it. :)

**A/N: I decided I should do this before going to Disneyland, or else I wouldn't be able to write sad stuff if I wrote this after :p Anyway, go ahead and enjoy :)**

* * *

**CHAPTER ELEVEN: CHANGES**

"Mikan."

The brunette's body jerked with a startle when she heard her name being called out. She quickly spun her head to the direction where the voice came from, and when she did, she met cold amethyst eyes staring straight at her. Simply looking at those pair of eyes, it would seem emotionless, but knowing the owner of those eyes for a long time, she saw the hint of concern behind those.

"H-Hotaru," she replied automatically, not knowing what to say since her mind had been _blank. _Blank of what's currently happening around her.

The inventor pursed her lips, to what seemed to Mikan like a frown.

"You've got your head in the clouds again," Hotaru stated, her tone with a bit of scolding in it. "I told you not to think too much about _it_," she continued, obviously referring to Natsume losing his memories and leaving the Academy.

Mikan guiltily looked away from her best friend. "I'm sorry, Hotaru," she said, not wanting to say anymore. She had been encouraged, scolded, and advised by all her friends for the past three days since _that _already, but she couldn't get herself to be cheerful and pretend that nothing has happened. It was just so difficult.

Especially after having _those dreams._

She shook her head to shove the thoughts away. She looked at Hotaru once more and decided to change the topic.

"Anyway, congratulations Hotaru!" she said, trying to sound a bit happier. "You can go visit your family now, since you ranked 1st in the midterms!"

The cropped raven-haired girl shrugged and took the empty seat beside her in the classroom. _The seat that once belonged to Natsume_, Mikan thought sadly.

"The point difference between Iinchou and me is just a matter of points though," Hotaru said, her eyes roaming around the quite noisy classroom. They had a free day from their homeroom adviser after the announcement of the students who topped the exams.

"Still, that's great! You can go back to our hometown and visit your little brother!" Mikan exclaimed, her words coming out naturally enthusiastic.

Hotaru timidly smiled at Mikan's sudden brightness and at the thought of being able to see her younger brother. A year ago, the inventor got a telegram from her parents that she and Subaru would be having a younger brother—which to everyone's surprise, made the usually stoic girl, smile sincerely. After the baby, named Shioru, was born—Hotaru was further delighted (though of course, only Mikan and Ruka figured the change from her usual expression) to hear that her brother was not an Alice, courtesy of Mikan's uncle, and could stay with their parents all along.

After a short while of silence, Hotaru spoke. "You wanna come?"

Mikan furrowed her brows in confusion. "Huh?"

Hotaru leaned over and flicked the brunette's forehead. "_Baka. _You weren't listening to what Sensei said after the announcement, were you?"

The nullifier stroked her aching forehead and chuckled idiotically. "W-well, yeah, kinda.."

The inventor sighed and leaned on the rest of the chair. "Well, Sensei said I could take one friend to accompany me to my one-week home visit. So…" she dragged for a while and stared at her best friend, "—let's go?"

Mikan looked ecstatic and was about to shout 'Yes!' when all of a sudden, her bright facial features turned into a gloomy one. She sighed and leaned on her chair too, looking quite disappointed with herself, and _thoughtful _of something. Hotaru patiently waited, but when she figured that her best friend had no plans to speak up soon, she called her attention again—her brows raised, waiting for the brunette's answer.

"U-uhm… As much as I want to, Hotaru…I don't think I can go," Mikan said in a tiny voice.

"And why is that?"

The brunette frowned. "I… I want to be here, so I can hear first about what happens to Natsume, after he… you know, after one week, he said he would _remember_…" she said, the last word almost a whisper.

Opposite of what Mikan expected, she felt an understanding tap on her shoulder. She looked her best friend in the eye, and the latter had a knowing look on her face.

"If the _jerk _said so, then he would," Hotaru said, her tone still had the tinge of bitterness towards Natsume that she couldn't bear to speak his name. "Well, if that is so, it would be wise for you to stay here," she continued, then shrugged. "—I don't want you to be whining and worrying about him when you're with me back home."

Mikan sincerely smiled and nodded. "Thanks, Hotaru."

Hotaru acknowledged her words of gratitude, then attempted to stand up, but Mikan caught her wrist. The inventor looked back with a questioning look.

"You should take Ruka-pyon with you," the brunette suggested, her tone a bit teasing. "—and introduce him to your parents."

The raven-haired girl looked quite embarrassed. "I—" she stammered, but quickly gained her composure. "Well, it seems I don't have any other choice but to take him. I need someone to carry my luggage anyway," she spoke coldly, shaking her wrist away from Mikan's hold.

The brunette laughed, knowing that she embarrassed her best friend. It was still funny how Hotaru had _extreme _difficulties to express that she really liked Ruka, and as a result, she would end up being extra cruel to her boyfriend.

"Oh," Mikan abruptly stopped giggling, remembering something. "Hotaru, can you please bring flowers to Jii-chan's grave and tell him I'm sorry that I couldn't go?"

The inventor nodded. "Sure," she said, then her face turned serious—well, _more_ serious. "Just promise me that you won't get all lonely and sad while I'm away. Don't think about useless stuff so you won't," Hotaru ordered.

Mikan faked a smile and nodded. "I will," she answered, despite her mind screaming the opposite of it.

As the brunette watched her best friend walk back to her seat, shooting some classmates with her Baka Gun along the way, Mikan can't help but sigh regarding the last thing that Hotaru mentioned.

'_I wish those dreams were really just useless… And not what I'm fearing,' _she said to herself, her eyes distant again, obviously preoccupied with something.

***

Mikan was about to open the door to her three-star room when she noticed that the door of the _supposed-to-be-empty room _beside hers was closed. Her brows drew closer together as she walked over to the next room to see the name plate of the new occupant.

_Youichi Hijiri._

'_What!?' _she screamed inside her head in surprise. Youichi beside her room—in the _middle school_ dormitories?

She knocked on his door in haste, eager to bombard his with questions.

"What the hell—" a baritone voice from inside came, alongside the opening of the wooden door. Irritated olive orbs met Mikan's hazel ones. The owner of those pair of deep olive eyes towered over her by about six inches, she guessed, making her gasp.

Youichi, about to say something nasty to the person who disturbed his sleep, suddenly shut his mouth when he saw who was standing in front of his door. Hazel and olive stared silently at each other for a couple of minutes.

"Y-You-chan!" Mikan exclaimed, recovering from her surprise. "W-why are you _here?_"

The gray-haired guy, apparently had regained his composure too, just shrugged, "It's my room, why?"

"No!" the brunette corrected, her arms flailing animatedly. "I mean—why are you…why are you in the middle school dormitory!?"

Youichi rolled his eyes, leaned on the frame of the door and crossed his arms. "I got accelerated," he replied, as if it was the obvious thing in the world. "I'll be living here beside your room starting today, and tomorrow, I'll be joining Class B."

"That's--! Wha, wha, how, why—" Mikan stuttered, unable to gather her thoughts due to shock.

The sprit manipulator scoffed and gave her head a soft chop. "Stupid," he remarked, smirking. "Well, as usual, your brain can't process things fast, so would you like to come in first?"

Mikan, gaping, absentmindedly nodded. Youichi walked ahead inside, while she silently followed him. The gray-haired lad ushered her to the coffee table near the window, and she quietly made herself comfortable. She looked around—their rooms had the same outline and decorations, and it amazed her how tidy the room was already, despite Youichi just moving in.

Youichi brought a coffee maker and sat opposite her. He put two cups on the table and beckoned Mikan to go pour her own drink.

"So… I guess I'll explain huh," he stated, leaning back on the chair while sipping his coffee. The brunette did the same and just nodded for a reply.

"I told you before that my Age Changing Alice was having complications, right? It was that way for almost two months already, it was becoming hard for me to go back to my real age, since most of the time I had my old version on. Well, people at the infirmary told me that having problems with my Age Changing Alice wasn't really at all surprising, since I just acquired it due to the side-effect of Gulliver's candy," he explained, pausing for Mikan to react, but when she didn't, he continued. "It was just like the first complication I had, you remember?"

Mikan, remembering the first surprising complication Youichi had, nodded. She still remembers her shock before when she met the spirit manipulator, and the way he talked to her was completely different from before—as if his state of mind was of the same age which he looked like. Before, Youichi could change ages but the way he speaks, thinks, and acts remained that of his real age. However, that day, when he was on his 14-year old version, he started talking like a teenager, and much to Mikan's chagrin, he spoke and acted like Natsume.

And from that day on, Youichi had been on his 14-year old version most of time, behaving like one, except when he's inside the elementary school building where he had to revert back to his real age.

"So, how about this current complication you had, what is it?" Mikan asked, still not able to understand fully the extent of what happened to Youichi's alice.

Youichi sighed in resignation, apparently bored and tired of explaining.

"To put it simply, I can't go back to my real age anymore, I'm stuck with being a 14-year old. And the doctors said they can't do anything about it anymore, and they think this complication will be for a lifetime too, just like the first one. And then the higher-ups summoned me, and asked me if I want to be transferred to the middle school division by taking an exam, or if I want return to my real age and get my Age Changing Alice _extracted_—" he paused and looked at Mikan with a meaningful look, "—by you, of course."

Mikan frowned when reminded by the Alice extraction. She can still clearly remember how it went with Natsume…and it was still too painful for her to remember. Especially the memory of him waking up and asking who she was. She felt the familiar lump on her throat, but did her best to ignore it, since she didn't want to start crying in front of Youichi…again.

Youichi, seeing her near to tears, knew she was thinking about Natsume again. "Sorry for mentioning it," he apologized, his voice quiet and weary. He knew Mikan had been crying a lot lately, so when he saw her looking quite cheerful, standing in his doorway a while ago, he was surprised that he ended up becoming speechless…and a bit happy, for her.

The brunette shook her head and attempted a fake smile. "I'm alright, don't worry, You-cha—"

"Hey," the spirit manipulator cut her off. "Don't call me that anymore."

Mikan opened her mouth to ask when he continued. "We're of the same age now, and I'm not some little kid anymore, besides—" he dragged, smirking, "—I'm so much bigger than you."

"But that's—" she argued, only to be cut off again.

"_Mikan_," Youichi abruptly said, emphasizing that he omitted the usual '–nee' he attached to her name. He looked at her in the eye and continued, "Call me Youichi."

The brunette felt heat creep up her cheeks at the sudden calling of her first name by him and how he looked at her earnestly. Before she could argue, she found herself nodding.

"Y-Youichi. Okay," she muttered, still a bit hesitant at the swift change.

The gray-haired guy timidly smiled and placed his coffee cup down at the table.

"Thanks, Mikan."

***

Natsume stared into the darkness, letting the soft chilly evening breeze ruffle through his unruly raven locks. He was standing at his room's balcony at the third floor, killing time while Aoi was cooking their dinner, and at the same time, _thinking._

He sighed as two small sparrows landed on top of the railings of the balcony, apparently mates. The tiny birds were chirping loudly, interrupting his pondering. After a few seconds, he got annoyed and shooed the animals away.

He didn't understand, but he was getting irritated. It was difficult to have no memories of _anything, _and no clue how to start his life without those. When he tried asking Aoi and his father about his memories, they looked pensive and said that they really couldn't tell him what happened to him since he was 8, because he had to go to the Academy and live there up until now. He found that stupid, but his father looked honest with it, so he didn't press on further. Aoi, though, was a different story. Natsume knew she really did have some idea on what happened to him, but she kept on avoiding his questions, saying that she was strictly ordered by the doctors not to tell him sooner or else it would affect his health badly.

And that was the problem. His head seemed like a haze and when he struggled to remember, his head aches so bad like it would split in two. Though, he liked being alone and thinking…but to the irony of it all, _nothing _comes into his mind that is worth pondering on. Nothing.

He caught his breath when an image floated across his mind. _There was one, _though. The brunette. He felt like he knew her all his life, and he thought that if there was one who knows about his past and who could make him remember, it was that girl.

His brows furrowed when he remembered the last moment he saw her. She was embracing some guy, and the sight of it--much to his surprise, bothered him greatly. During the two-hour ride inside the limousine, he was so irritated and annoyed at what he saw, despite the fact that he didn't even know who the girl was, even her name. Though he was constantly bothered by how she asked during the first time he opened his eyes. If not, he knew they had _some _connection to each other.

Natsume closed his eyes once more and inhaled the fresh air, calming his mind. Being at the outskirts of the metropolitan area of Tokyo was a good thing—it was refreshing and the thick polluted air was absent. The location of their house was a good place to 'recover'.

He looked up and gazed at the starlit sky. He decided not to be impatient about remembering, and just let the memories come to him naturally…well, for the time being.

A shooting star grazed the sky.

Like _her tears _back then. He felt a pang of pain in his head at the memory—when the brunette stared at him disbelievingly when he asked her who she was, and when she started running away from him, her tears freely flowing from her hazel eyes. The prickling pain centering on his temples started to grow as he heard 'familiar voices' inside her head.

"_You'll… come back, right?" he said, almost in a whisper._

_In his arms was a brunette, who was sobbing hard. He stroke her back in a desperate effort to comfort her._

"_I will, definitely…" she replied in between her sobs. She gently pulled away from him._

_Hazel orbs._

"_Natsume, I…"_

_His memories suddenly blurred, not allowing him to hear what the girl said. His head throbbed as more stabs of pain started overwhelming his vision to look at what he was remembering._

"_M-Mi—"_

Natsume shrieked as a huge surge of aching twinges flooded not just his head, but his whole body. He loosened his hold on the railings of the balcony and let himself kneel down on the ground, his one leg propped up for support. He clutched a fistful of his raven hair and tried hard to suppress the overwhelming pain he was experiencing.

But it was no good.

"_Natsume… Natsume!"_

Shouts of his name continued to ring inside his head, making the throbs all the more painful. He gasped as he controlled another scream to not escape from his mouth, but it made him hurt all the more.

And he came to the point he couldn't take it any longer.

Darkness started to envelope his senses, as if the same darkness he was staring at a while ago turned alive and started to gobble him up. He dropped to the floor, lying down sideways, shivering in cold and pain. Before the last of his awareness disappeared, he heard Aoi's footsteps from downstairs, and her voice in panic.

"Nii-chan!!"

***

Mikan jolted from her slumber into a sitting position. She clutched her chest and felt her heart beating rapidly, her breathing irregular, then she noticed that her eyes were glistening, her face wet—with tears. She wiped them away with the back of her hand.

Her hand still quivering, she reached out for the glass of water on her side table beside the bed and gulped down all of its contents. She placed it back and started to do a respiratory exercise to regulate her breathing—inhale and exhale, inhale and exhale.

Feeling she had calmed down a bit, she extended her arm to grab a hold of her pillow and embraced it tight. She felt…_scared._

Tears started to form at the corner of her eyes.

It was the fourth time in a row that she had the same dream. Ever since Natsume left, _four days ago._

She buried her face on the soft pillow and sobbed. She was afraid…and lonely. She had been having the same nightmare for the past days, and she couldn't bear to ignore it anymore. She was scared that she was having _them _again.

Her nightmare contained the same thing: Natsume breaking when he recovers his memories. The dream was short, yet it starts with the same thing and ends up with the same thing. She could see Natsume opening the memory box and just when he was starting to remember everything, he suddenly collapses from the shock of the return of his memories, and then ends up unconscious. He would be hospitalized and when he wakes up, _he would be broken._

Mikan shivered at the thought, the images of Natsume's state very vivid in her head, nagging her continuously. She was afraid… that she wasn't having nightmares.

She could be having _premonitions. Again._

Mikan could still remember the past three incidents that she had premonitions, and all of them became true. One was after the ruckus at the Hanahime Den with Persona, where they took Aoi out and Mikan was extremely injured with Persona's Alice. The premonition started after that and before she was caught by the Fuukitai and forcefully dragged to Principal Kuonji's office to make her a Dangerous Ability student. The second one was before Tsubasa-senpai and Natsume's team failed in their missions and her favorite senpai went missing. The third one was…a week before the death of her mother, Yuka.

Her nightmares during those times were the same as now… short, repeating endlessly, and continued for several nights. Because she really didn't believe in her ability to have premonitions, and because she really had no power to change the incidents before they could happen (except for her mother's death, which until now, she regretted the most), she hadn't done anything as response to her premonitions.

She didn't want to make another mistake again. Just like when she ignored the premonitions she had before the Alice War and Yuka's death. _She didn't want Natsume to break._

Mikan felt an overwhelming feeling of sadness, pain, and helplessness.

First, Natsume _had _to forget her in order to live. Now that he's safe now and living a good normal life, he couldn't be allowed to remember because he might break…if her premonitions are true.

"_Am I really destined to be apart from Natsume…that he would break if he tries to remember me?" _she asked herself in a hurting tone, her tears relentlessly flowing from her hazel orbs.

Would she believe in her premonitions or not? She didn't know. She was scared…that if she made the wrong decision once more, she would lose another important person, just like when she lost her mother. And now, if she let Natsume remember…she would lose him too.

Mikan clutched the pillow tighter and cried hard. She felt like whatever she did, she would always end up losing Natsume…and this time, both choices left her with losing him. It was _unfair…_so unfair.

"_What did I do wrong…except to love him so much?" _she asked bitterly, feeling that her love for Natsume had always been challenged by fate. They had both endured them all…but how could she take them on now that she's _alone?_

She was…alone.

Natsume didn't remember her anymore. Hotaru and Ruka are leaving. Her mother and Jii-chan are both dead.

She had no one with her. She was...alone.

Soft consecutive knocks on her door startled her. She was about to ignore it and continue crying when the lock to the door clicked open and the knob started to turn. Mikan stared at it disbelievingly, though she let her guard up for whoever who was intruding her room.

A tall gray-haired man flooded the entrance of the room. Hazel and olive orbs met, the former full of tears, the latter weary and concerned.

Without speaking any word, Youichi crossed the distance from the now-closed door and her bed with large strides, while Mikan freed her clutch from her pillow and reached out her arms—meeting Youichi's arms, locking together into a tight embrace.

Mikan buried her face into the crook of Youichi's neck and continued to cry. She didn't know…but she felt extremely relieved, and silently wondered why he would always come to comfort her when she needed someone the most…when she needed someone to cry on when it couldn't be Natsume.

"I… I thought I was _alone_…" the brunette whispered in between sobs, the last word making her voice break. She felt relieved she had someone beside her right now. She was just…too lonely and afraid.

"You aren't," Youichi replied in a soft voice, caressing her long auburn locks. "You won't be," he continued, his words not failing to soothe Mikan's aching heart.

Flashes of the nightmare she had started to fill her mind, making her cry even more. She clung onto Youichi for dear life, tightening her arms wrapped around his huge frame.

"I'm…scared," Mikan muttered, and repeated, "I'm scared, Youichi…"

He enveloped her petite frame tighter with his muscled arms.

"Don't worry…" he whispered, letting Mikan pour out all her emotions on him. He couldn't deny that he was hurting when he saw her looking so out of it, staring distantly and crying. He had heard her sobs from his room, and after debating with himself if he should go or not, his protective side got the better of him.

He breathed in deeply as he felt the sadness that Mikan was feeling. He knew he couldn't do much for her, but she was important to him, and he didn't want to see her as sad as this. If only his words could be enough.

"I'll always be here…Mikan," Youichi muttered, his words sincere. It was all he could do for her. As long as Natsume wasn't around, he would do his best to stay by her side.

He felt Mikan's sobs started to falter…and gradually, it stopped. Her hold on him loosened, and her breathing became even. After a couple of seconds, Youichi peered at her, only to see her fast asleep on his chest.

He smiled and carefully wiped her tears away.

"I'll always be with you," he said once more, letting her rest on his arms for a little while more.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, my 'pedo' side got the better of me :p That's why I'm justifying the YxM pairing as much as I can. Fufufu. Bear with me, I know you like it too~~**

**REVIEWS PLEASE!! ^^  
**


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Gakuen Alice belongs to Tachibana Higuchi.

**A/N: Sorry for taking long to update. I was feeling uber happy lately that I couldn't find the right mood to write sad stuff.^^ But, I hope this chappie would be deserving your long wait. :D Also, thank you very much for everyone who reviewed and favorited/added the story to alert. Writing Not Stolen had been very much of a pleasure because of you, dear readers. :)**

* * *

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

**GOODBYES AND BROKEN BONDS**

Principal Kazu let out a loud sigh after making the last urgent telephone call he had to ever since he received _that _call. He thought his worries were all over after the Alice extraction had been a success, yet here comes trouble again.

He closed his eyes as he remembered the panicking voice of Aoi Hyuuga over the phone half an hour ago.

"_Uhm, e-excuse me…T-this is Aoi Hyuuga, a-and—" a girly voice on the other line said as soon as he picked the phone._

_Kazu frowned as he smelled trouble, but tried to lighten up his tone. "Yes, Ms. Hyuuga? This is Principal Yukihira. Did something happen?"_

_As if an answer to his question, he heard a sob from the girl. Something was really up, he thought._

"_Ms. Hyuuga?" he prompted once more, trying to not sound pushy so Aoi could have the time to calm down._

_Aoi stifled another sob but started to speak again. "M-my…brother… Natsume-nii-chan is…"_

_He was expecting that the call was about Natsume Hyuuga, yet he couldn't help but be alarmed. "What happened to him?"_

_The girl started crying once more, but tried hard to tell him what happened._

"_I…I was cooking downstairs and he was at the balcony, then… Then suddenly I just heard him scream so loud—like he was in extreme pain…then I heard a sound of someone collapsing on the floor. When I saw him, he was clutching his head and looked like his head was hurting so much…then he lost consciousness…"_

_Possible after-effects of the extraction, Kazu thought._

"_Did you bring him to the hospital?" he asked, thoughtful of the current condition Natsume was in._

"_Y-yes… I called Dad immediately, then we brought him to the hospital nearby. He's currently under examination… T-then I remembered you advised me to call you in case something happens to my brother…"_

_Kazu was impressed at the girl's intelligence—just like her mother was, Kaoru Igarashi. He kept the remark to himself and instead focused on the matter at hand._

"_Thank you for not forgetting, Ms. Hyuuga. Give me the name of the hospital and I will deal with the matter and the hospital expenses, so please tell your father that everything will be taken care of. The both of you… just stay by Natsume's side."_

_Aoi replied with the name of the hospital and a soft 'yes'on the last line he said. She added in a hesitant voice, "W-will…my brother be alright?"_

_Kazu himself was anxious about Natsume's state, though he dare not say anything unnecessary to the young Hyuuga. "He will be, don't worry," he said instead, hoping that the boy will really be alright._

_After the girl muttered a soft 'okay' and prompted to cut the line off, Kazu did the same, then proceeded to calling the director of the said hospital to ask about Natsume's condition and arrange other matters._

Principal Kazu opened his eyes and sighed once again. He was in a great dilemma…whether to tell Mikan or not about Natsume being hospitalized. He knew that his niece didn't take the results of the extraction very well, _of course, _but at this rate, Natsume was in a dangerous state that neither he nor the doctors know what the source and cure is. There was probably just one who knew…and that was _still, _Mikan.

He took a glance at the three picture frames on the far corner of his desk—one was his and Yukki's, one was still them plus Yuka on a random day inside his office, and the last one was his and Mikan's—on her elementary graduation day. He shifted his eyes between his brother and his niece's faces, then Yuka and Mikan's faces…and suddenly, a wave of sadness crashed in on him. Mikan had the same smile as Yukki back then, however, that bright smile of hers was tarnished ever since she had been informed of the Alice extraction…and she had the ghostly, empty look that Yuka once had when she was young.

But, he thought, Mikan had the strength that her parents had. Kazu was positive that she could bear the news about Natsume well, and help with resolving his current state. Well, at least, he _hoped._

But that hope came crashing down when hurried, consecutive knocks fell on his door. He didn't have to ask who it was, he had already sensed.

"Demi, come in."

The tall and rugged Dangerous Ability Class adviser came in, his face as stoic as ever. He strode into the office with a rush that Kazu understood—meant business. And was urgent.

"Youichi Hijiri came to me a while ago, saying that Mikan Sakura—"

As soon as he heard his niece's name, Kazu panicked, cut Demi off, and asked. "What happened to Mikan?"

Demi frowned, yet continued. "She is inside that _bear's _house…she had locked herself for almost two days straight already, without food or anything. She set-up strong barriers around the construction, and no one could get near the area or they'd be electrified. Hijiri said he had been guarding the house since yesterday, doing all he can to prompt Sakura out of there, but she still hasn't…"

Kazu's brows furrowed with every word he heard from Demi. He was afraid this would happen… but he didn't except it to _actually _happen, and just during this crucial time. He inwardly cursed, which was rare, but he felt…helpless—because he can't do anything for his niece. And this time too, how cruel he might be, he had no choice but to get Mikan out of there...tell her the truth about Natsume, and get her to cooperate in solving the case. _It was callous_, but he had no choice, duty calls. He would just have to do his best to support his niece from coping up on her emotional distress.

"Let's go," Principal Yukihira said, grabbing his coat from the stand, walked out the door with Demi silently on his tread.

***

'_I don't want to make another big mistake.'_

'_I couldn't just ignore these premonitions I'm having..!'_

'_I wouldn't bear it if Natsume loses his sanity when he remembers…'_

'_But…'_

'_But…!'_

Mikan clutched handfuls of her auburn locks as she buried her face deeper into the pillow occupying the space between her legs. Not minding the darkness enveloping the whole house, she continued to battle with her thoughts, the enraging war in her mind relentless, repetitive, wracking her whole system down.

She had lost all her appetite. She had no more tears to shed. All her senses had gone numb.

She was nearing her limit.

The soft, comforting cushion fell off to the side, but she didn't move a single inch… didn't even blink an eye. Mikan continued to stare blankly at the cold wooden floor, silently wishing it would open and devour her, so as to _escape_—run away from what this harsh reality had been dishing out upon her. She couldn't take it anymore. She wanted to _break._

As if not tired at all, her mind started to work again—this time, showing her memories of _them…_Natsume and hers. Those happy days. Those times when they were both sure that their love could withstand _anything_ in this world.

"_I'm not giving up, Mikan. Even if hell freezes over, I won't give up on us." Natsume held her hands tight, his crimson orbs tinted with absolute resolution. "So don't you cry anymore. As you said, this won't be the end of us."_

Her grasp on her flowing hair tightened. Her chest started to tighten once more.

"_Me too. I think, if by any chance I suddenly lose my memories, I know I will still love you. I don't know why, I just feel I will do."_

"_A-are you sure?" she asked, afraid, but hopeful._

"_Yeah, so if that happens, don't give up on me," Natsume said, following his line with a wink._

Mikan closed her eyes and squeezed them shut, hard. A cascade of Natsume's words and promises winded inside her head, his voice echoing, the feeling still reverberant—everything still fresh in her memories. As fresh as the pain she was having right now…in her heart, within her entirety.

'_We're probably…not meant for each other, Natsume.'_

Just when she thought she was out of tears already after crying straight for almost two days, more of those beads of water appeared from the corner of her eyes, flowing across her already tear-stained pale face. Natsume's face fleeted across her mind—his handsome, strong, seemingly cold features still concrete in her memory, his attractive crimson eyes still piercing her heart.

'_Maybe, my role in your life is over. That's why you mustn't remember me.'_

'_You must've met me…so I could take you out of the darkness, and relieve you of your pain. And now, due to that Alice extraction, you were granted to live…a normal life.'_

She stifled a couple of sobs as she realized she was slowly coming into a conclusion.

"And in that new life…I must not take part in it anymore," she continued in a rasped sound, unknowing that she voiced out what she was thinking.

Flashes of her premonitions replayed in her mind. _Natsume will break. If he remembers, he will go insane._

Mikan opened her eyes, directed her vision up at the ceiling, and let the rest of her tears flow freely… _letting go._

As she would…

With Natsume.

***

Youichi stood at the nearest spot he could without being electrocuted by Mikan's barrier and stared at Mr. Bear's house—where Mikan had isolated herself for two days straight already. He was beyond _agitated—_he didn't like the thought of what was happening to her inside the small hut. He had been guarding the place since yesterday, he thought at first that it was best to leave Mikan alone after she told him about her premonitions. But when there started to have no signs of life inside, he forced Mikan to leave the house, but instead, the girl created a strong barrier around the area.

He was dead worried. He didn't want to think that Mikan could be suicidal, but the thought kept ramming through his head. He knew she had no food or anything inside, he knew there were lots of pointed objects inside Mr. Bear's home that she could cut and kill herself with…and the awareness of that made him all the more anxious. No matter how 'Mikan Sakura' and 'suicide' didn't match in this life, Youichi knew that she was starting to _lose it_…ever since the issue of the Alice extraction started. Moreover, when Natsume left, and now—these premonitions she was having. Mikan could be overtly optimistic, but she was just human. And she was indeed, _suffering._

He didn't get to control the urge to scream her name for the nth time since yesterday.

"Mikan!" Youichi called out, "—Come on, get out of there now!"

Still, no response.

He touched the barrier once more, not surprised anymore with the electrifying sensation, yet…the pain was still there. He closed his eyes and wished Demi and the high school principal would arrive soon. He was going crazy thinking that something had happened to Mikan.

'_Why?'_

He froze at the single question word that reverberated through his mind. 'Why?' it said, echoing repeatedly in his head.

His last meeting with Natsume before the extraction flashed through his mind.

"_Take care of the idiot," Natsume whispered, patting his head the way he always used to ever since they became close together when he was but a toddler. Youichi, despite being in his older version, was a tad bit shorter than Natsume, letting the latter still treat him as a child._

_Youichi grabbed Natsume's hand on his head and prodded it away from him. He smirked. "Making me a baby-sitter, Natsume-nii?"_

_The raven-haired guy returned the trademark smirk. "A handful she is…but protect her," he said, the last two words voiced out softer._

"_Of course. Ugly is important to me too," the spirit manipulator said, "—and since you're not around, I guess, baby-sitting her would be my job now," he added teasingly._

_Natsume shrugged and smiled amusingly. "Just no foul plays, brat," he said, emphasizing on the word 'brat'. He always did that to remind Youichi that his original age was still too young to be making moves on girls. Though Youichi knew, that it was Natsume's defense mechanism to ward him off Mikan—whom both of them had a special connection to._

Youichi closed his eyes as memories of his favorite Nii-chan fleeted across his mind. Yes, he vowed to protect Mikan for him, _and that was the reason _he didn't want something to happen to Mikan. He didn't want to disappoint Natsume, and he didn't want to break a promise.

He stared at the seemingly empty house once more. A flash of Mikan's smiling face seeped into his mind. She was special to him. He wanted to protect that smile on her face.

'_Mikan…'_

"Hijiri," a stern voice came from behind him, instantly cutting off his thought and making him spin around quickly to see who was there.

The high school principal and Demi. Youichi sighed in relief, though discreetly. Now they could take Mikan out of there.

"Still no signs from her inside there," he informed, eyeing the house with anxiety. He hoped she wasn't stupid enough to actually kill herself. He inwardly shuddered at the thought, making him curse.

"That kid," he heard Principal Yukihira mutter between his breath, then quickly walked over to the barrier to test its strength. Demi did the same and cursed after the electrocution, commenting that Mikan had actually managed to put up a strong barrier.

The three of them knew how strong Mikan Sakura actually was. After escaping the academy during the Alice War, she went into an intensive training under her mother, successfully harnessing both her Nullification and Stealing Alice, together with the Insertion Alice that came along her Stealing. During that time also, it was found out the Mikan also had a constitution like Shiki's—one that had large compatibilities with alice stones, though Mikan's compatibility levels were a degree lower than Shiki's. Having nearly mastered her two rare alices and with high compatibilities, Mikan Sakura was considered one of the most powerful alice wielders in the world of Alice. After the Alice War, she was transferred to the reformed Dangerous Ability Class—who still did missions for the academy however they were easier, safer, well-chosen ones, and didn't need to use that much alice. So Mikan had to undergo physical training for that, making her all the more powerful. But still, the girl remained low-profile and still…herself.

But strong allies could make strong opponents. And things like this strengthened that idea. Who knows if even Demi or the headmasters could take down Mikan's barrier? Of course the middle school principal could, but that _creepy woman _wouldn't pay no mind to petty things like this.

Though Principal Yukihira seemed to know what to do.

Youichi stepped aside as he watched the man with unruly auburn locks take out a pearly white alice stone from his pocket and directed it to the center of the barrier. From its color, he guessed it was the Dispel Alice—an alice that destroys different kinds of barriers. However, the alice itself was of low potential only, so '_what more could one small alice stone be?' _the spirit manipulator wondered to himself.

Demi stood in front of the center of the barrier, where the Dispel Alice would create a small rip within the barrier…and that would be where he would enter. He cursed, thinking he was like some guinea pig being ordered to do such a task. Principal Yukihira behind him looked at him indifferently, and nodded that he was about to start.

"Just go straight, that's where the rip's direction would go through. The rip would seem wide at first, but it would get narrower as soon as you get further, so activate the Immunity Alice stone I gave you," Kazu ordered, wishing this could be done with soon. He wanted to see so much if his niece was alright, and he also didn't want to prolong this reckless act. He was more than aware that the Dispel Alice stone could backfire and damage the academy's barrier instead—which is, of course, dangerous.

"Well, here goes nothing," Demi muttered as soon as he saw from the corner of his eyes that Kazu nodded—signalling that he had started to rip Mikan's barrier.

'_Goddamn spoiled brat,' _the DA adviser cursed as soon as he plunged into the barrier, with the electrifying tinges touching his skin a bit. As soon as he took five steps, the sensation started to get more painful, so he activated the Immunity alice—making him immune to the pain for a limited time.

Afterwards, Demi ran for it.

***

Mikan felt _it _when someone successfully tampered on her barrier, and when someone actually went through and penetrated it.

The higher-ups, she thought dryly.

She wiped the flowing tears from her eyes and smiled lifelessly. _How stupid she was. _She selfishly locked herself up, not thinking about the consequences…not thinking about those who might have cared. She felt kind of ashamed for acting like a spoiled kid, and now she knew she was going to get a good scolding from whoever was destroying her barrier.

But at least, _she had decided._

She smiled bitterly. Those two days she isolated herself were harsh…but at least, she knew that the conclusion she arrived at was for the _best. _For Natsume…and maybe, for her too. So she could move on.

'_There's no other choice anyway,' _she thought sullenly.

Mikan, sensing that the person who penetrated her barrier was approaching near, tried to stand up. She felt her knees wobble and her hands quiver. She practically didn't have any strength left—the Barrier Alice continued to sap her energy, and she had neither food nor water for the past two days. She wondered how she lived with it, but she had not much recollection of what she did during the time she was here.

After so much struggle, she finally made it to the door. She gripped on the knob and put her remaining strength to open the door, when suddenly it turned from outside and opened—letting her stumble over to the person who opened it. Having no more energy to shriek or regain her balance, she just let herself continue to fall down on the ground with that _someone._

"Sakura!" the man who caught her shouted her name, making Mikan wince. Her head started to receive pangs of pain.

She struggled to look up to see who it was, and her eyes met sharp blue eyes, with locks bordering between white and gray nearly covering those orbs. Demi, she instantly recognized.

"Stupid, put down your barrier!" the man shouted once more, this time, an urgent and ordering tone evident in his voice.

Mikan laughed a bit and spoke in a rasped voice. "Heh…Sorry, I…forgot…"

Demi snorted an annoyed sigh, but stayed put on the ground as support for Mikan, whose legs were sprawled on the cold ground, her upper body resting on his chest. He waited for the girl to focus and take off the barrier.

Once Mikan had successfully dispelled the barrier, she lifelessly fell back on Demi's chest—as if she had lost consciousness—though he knew he was just dead tired and was probably resting. He scooped the girl in his arms into a bridal-style carry, when he heard Principal Yukihara and Youichi Hijiri calling out Mikan's name. He positioned the girl in his arms so she could breathe easily, and started to walk to meet the two approaching men halfway.

Youichi arrived first, his eyes focused on the half-asleep Mikan. He looked at Demi and asked, "Is… she alright?"

Demi nodded, peering at the girl. "Yes, just tired I guess."

Principal Yukihira came from behind and walked straight to get near Mikan. He softly called out his niece's name.

"U-uncle…" Mikan replied when she recognized his voice, but when she spoke she didn't open her eyes. She was too tired to even do so.

"You need to get some rest," Kazu told her, wondering how he could tell her now what happened to Natsume, now that she is was in this condition. He felt a pang of sorrow in his heart for her suffering niece.

Mikan nodded. They were about to walk towards the infirmary when she opened her eyes and reached out to her uncle.

"P-please wake me up first thing tomorrow morning," Mikan murmured, the effort to move even just a bit drained all her remaining strength.

Kazu answered with a questioning look. Mikan answered, "I…I need to see Aoi…" she said, the young Hyuuga's name almost a whisper. –and…Natsume…" she added, almost inaudible.

A hint of guilt flashed through Kazu's eyes. Despite Mikan's almost closed eyes, she saw this and instantly realized why.

"D-did…something…happen…to N-Natsume?" Mikan asked, her voice breaking at every word.

Youichi looked bewilderingly at the high school principal. Something happened to Natsume? And…judging from the look in the principal's face, he was going to let Mikan know, _in her condition. _"Don't—"he started to protest, but the principal gave him the stare, saying 'I must do this.' The spirit manipulator had no choice but to back off, though finding it hard to ignore the rising objection in his chest.

"Mikan…Natsume has been—hospitalized," Kazu said, his voice gentle enough to at least reduce the shock his niece might take.

But what he saw from her face was the opposite. No shock registered her face. Instead, there was a bitter smile…as if saying 'I thought so'. He looked at her questioningly, but he guessed she didn't see it when she closed her eyes once more.

"Don't worry, Uncle… I know why he was…hospitalized. This is a warning…_for me,_" she muttered, the men around her not quite understanding what she was saying. She continued, "I'm going to see the Hyuugas tomorrow…so please, wake me up…"

She knew her uncle muttered a 'yes', but she didn't get to actually hear it, for the last words that echoed in her mind was far louder than any other scream she ever heard in all her life.

'_And see Natsume…for the last time.'_

***

"Oneechan!" Aoi squealed in excitement and relief when Mikan quietly entered the room. She quickly got up from the sofa she was sitting at while waiting inside a private room provided by the hospital.

Mikan, undeniably nervous of what she was about to do, forced a smile. The small act itself pained her. A smile was a lie—_and there was no way she could smile again after THIS._

The young Hyuuga embraced her tight, not aware of the emptiness in the brunette's eyes and expression. "Nee-chan… I was so worried…" About Natsume, Mikan understood.

The nullifier patted Aoi's raven hair and stroke it gently, comforting her. "Your Nii-chan is strong, Aoi… He would be fine."

Aoi nodded absentmindedly and pulled away from her. They both slowly strode towards the peach-coloured couch and silently sat. The raven-haired girl continued to throw awkward glances at her, while Mikan stayed silent, trying to gather her thoughts.

She felt a tug on her sleeve. "Nee-chan, is there something wrong? You look…" Aoi hesitated, thinking of a proper word. "—different today," she continued, curiously staring at her face.

Mikan quickly averted her eyes and pretended to be thirsty by reaching out for the tea set on the table in front of them. She poured for the two of them and handed Aoi one cup.

The brunette chose to speak after two sips. She faced Natsume's sister. "Aoi, listen…" her voice dead serious, making Aoi almost drop her cup in the instant change in Mikan's tone and demeanor.

"Y-yes?" Aoi answered, quite nervous. She put the still half-full cup back onto the table, while Mikan did the same. After, they unconsciously stared at each other, waiting for the topic to be brought up.

Mikan sighed and held Aoi's hand. "Aoi…listen, this is very important—and it involves Natsume's…health," she started, her voice quite quivering with tenseness.

Aoi's brows furrowed when her brother's name was mentioned, but she kept silent. Mikan continued, staring at the girl's crimson orbs. "I… I want you to… throw the _box _away."

The young Hyuuga's mouth opened to protest, but Mikan shushed her quick. "Aoi. Listen," she said, her voice ringing with order, making Aoi shut her mouth, a bit afraid at the serious side of Mikan she wasn't familiar with.

"The reason Natsume was hospitalized…I…I know the cause. I had…visions of it, and this time, we're lucky that it only served as a warning for me." Mikan started, closing her eyes for a bit, quite exasperated to even think of the premonitions. "Aoi, Natsume… Natsume will _break _if he regains his memories," Mikan continued, the words almost a whisper.

Aoi's crimson eyes widened in disbelief, her free hand covering her mouth. "W-what—"

"I know… you don't want that to happen, and I don't either. That's why, we cannot let him remember," the brunette explained. "That's why…you must throw away the box, and guard Natsume from now on."

"T-throw away? G-guard…?" Aoi asked in a hesitant voice.

"Yes, so that he won't have anything to trigger his memories anymore. And you must stay and try to guard…to prevent Natsume from trying to remember…" Mikan answered, and gripped Aoi's hand tighter. "I know you _will _do it, right, Aoi-chan?"

Aoi softly nodded, but realizing something, she threw a look of disbelief at Mikan. "Nee-chan, b-but, you…"

All Aoi received was a bitter smile.

Mikan let go of the young Hyuuga's hand, and peered at the wall clock. She only had half an hour more to stay, as per orders by the higher-ups. _It was time._

The brunette stood up and walked towards the door out of the private room.

"M-Mikan-chan…" Aoi's concerned voice making her pause.

Mikan didn't bother to turn back as she gripped the doorknob tight, as if for support. She resolved all her strength to answer.

"Not all stories…have a happy ending, Aoi-chan," she replied, her voice breaking. "Take care of Natsume…for me," she added, then finally opened the door, walking away.

Stunned, Aoi watched her dear onee-chan's retreating form. She knew she wasn't mistaken when she saw a glisten of tears in the dim light, falling from the brunette's eyes.

***

She stared at his peaceful sleeping face.

_Natsume._

She let her eyes remain on the gorgeous combination of his messy raven locks, pale skin, manly contours of his face, his thin lips, his closed eyes covering the stunning crimson orbs that pierced her heart everytime those landed at her.

_Natsume._

She reached out for his hand and held it tight. She closed her eyes as she thought of the countless happy moments they had shared—despite constant bickering, arguing and such, she still thought it was really fun to have that kind of 'unique' relationship with Natsume.

_I love you, Natsume._

Her heart clenched as she remembered how the pain she felt when she was leaving Natsume before the Alice war was nothing compared to how painful it was _right now. _That time, when she finally confessed her feelings to him, she thought she would die of sorrow when he gazed at her solemnly…pleadingly, not to go. She could still remember how lonely it had been for her everyday when she was with her mother outside the academy, everytime she remembered Natsume.

_I love you so much._

She opened her eyes and her sight landed on the necklaces around Natsume's neck—the ones with the alice stones. Kaoru's, Yuka's, and hers. She smiled bitterly.

_I'm sorry._

She bent over Natsume's sleeping form and worked her hands to unlatch the necklaces from his neck. She had no choice but to take the stones too, fearing that they would trigger his memories as well and her premonitions would be fulfilled. She stared at the necklaces sorrowfully before she pocketed them.

_I hope you live…a happy, normal life… from now on._

She stooped down and planted as soft lingering kiss on Natsume's lips. She closed her eyes, emotions of sadness and regret filling her chest, as she conveyed her feelings of love and sacrifice. Honestly, she didn't know she could possible move on after this. She didn't know if she could ever stop loving him. She had no idea where to start. But…

_I'll do anything…for you to stay well and happy._

Before tears from her eyes could fall on Natsume, she ended the kiss—the last one she would have with him—and stood back straight. She glanced at the clock—and frowned when the time indicated that she had to go.

Mikan was left with the last thing she had to do—rather, _take away _from him. She held Natsume's hand once more and gazed at the promise ring, the one identical to what she had on her own. She placed her fingers around the silver band and gently removed it…at the same time, feeling the lump on her throat enlarge as she finally felt that this was it. _The end of them._

_We were not meant to be._

She felt her tears flow as she pocketed the silver bands, as she had removed her own too.

_Create new memories. Create a new life… A life, without me._

She threw a last, long stare at Natsume, despite the tears blurring her vision. Her role in his life was over. She came to his life only to give him the light and freedom that distorted his life before. But, she didn't hold his eternal happiness.

Mikan took a deep breath, turned around, and walked towards the door of the intensive care unit Natsume was confined in. She fought all the urge to look back and stay with him, the urge to wish that to hell with everything in this world that took away all her happiness. But she can't. She had decided. _Fate had decided._

She gripped the knob tight, staring at the white door, tears flowing freely from her hazel orbs.

"Goodbye, Natsume…"

She opened the door and walked away with a broken heart. The door slowly made its way home, a 'click' from the latch interrupting the deafening silence inside the room.

Except for another sound. A grumble. A rasped voice…from the only person inside the unit.

"Mi…kan."

* * *

**A/N: "Not all stories have happy endings."--according to Mikan. Do you believe that!? Do you want that to happen!! If not, let me hear! :) PUSH THAT GREEN BUTTON AND REVIEW! ^_^**


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: Gakuen Alice belongs to Tachibana Higuchi.

**A/N: Sorry for taking long to update again. Had been busy with translating GA and other stuff, and then there's school. Ugh. Anyway, here ya go. :) More twists in the story, all for you dear readers.**

**Thank you for everyone who had reviewed/favorited the story. You guys rock \m/**

* * *

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

**UNFINISHED  
**

**ONE YEAR LATER…**

Natsume watched the snow outside as it began to fall silently, flake by flake mesmerizingly being illuminated by the sunlight, creating an illusion of falling crystals. It was nearly the end of winter, and according to the weather forecast, today will be the last day it will snow around the outskirts of the Tokyo area.

'_How boring,' _he thought, peering at the female science teacher who had large eyeglasses, and was discussing the guidelines of creating an investigatory project for their final presentation.

Natsume had entered Chiba Prefectural Funabashi High School this year's spring as a first year high school student. After his quick recovery from the memory shock, he had taken intensive home-tutoring for the remainder of the school year as preparation for the high school placement exam. At first, he had difficulties remembering everything he was taught academically before, because of the 'neurological operation' that he had—which, according to the doctors, had badly damaged his memory. Although after three months of coping up, Natsume had managed to catch up very well to his studies, and was able to pass the placement exam with flying colors. From there, everything had been smooth for him in school.

After the teacher declared their early dismissal for research purposes, Natsume sighed as he scanned the classroom right after the teacher left—girls gossiping, men bragging about what-not or either talking about sports and stuff, couples starting to talk where to go for a date—which all in all hit an annoyed nerve in him. He didn't have anything against his classmates, but they were too childish for his liking, that's why he didn't dare to mix himself in their circles.

He jammed all his textbooks inside his bag and prepared to leave for home. He decided to postpone all _troublesome _assignments for the weekend—since he wasn't in the mood to do anything at all lately.

'_Might as well just read manga,' _he remarked, thinking about stopping by the nearby bookstore to get the new releases of the shounen stuff he was interested in.

No one paid attention to him as he walked out of the room, heading for the exit of the school. He lazily changed shoes in front of his locker, put on his winter coat, stuffed some of his things for tomorrow, and slowly walked towards the gates. He squinted as some flakes of snow fell on his eyelashes and nose.

As Natsume strode towards the direction of the closest bookstore in the area, he couldn't help but dwell on the numerous things that still left him perplexed.

Ranking first among them all, is the absence of his memories of the past. If he was just stupid enough to even consider _magic_—such as something that could erase one's memory, he would believe that his memories were removed. He didn't believe at all that he had a neurological operation. Sure he had some little scars of cuts in his head, however, they weren't large enough to even prove that he underwent some surgery. And what he couldn't understand at all was the lessening of the instances of his brain freezes when he tries to remember something. He still couldn't forget how painful it had been _before_—but now, even if he tried so much as to remember, he couldn't. It was _blank. _Nothing. No more of those flashbacks, so no more of the pain that came along with it.

He wasn't masochistic or what—it was just he didn't care at all if he felt pain…as long as he remembered _something. _Just anything will do. He didn't like the feeling of being in the dark about his own self. He actually felt like a living dead.

Another snow flake caught in his lash, making him automatically close his eyes—the cold wet of the flake entering his left eye. However, instead of the startling cold of the melted snow flake entering his eye, a short flash fleeted across the darkness of his vision—freezing his whole system in an instant. _The same memory._

The brunette.

As a sharp tinge of pain slashed through his head, Natsume felt himself stagger to the ground, kneeling on the snow-cold floor with his leg propped up. _As usual, the same thing happens._

He didn't remember anything…except the face of the brunette he saw when he woke up inside the Alice Academy infirmary _that day. _He kept having these short instances of flashbacks, but it was always accompanied with an inexplicable pain—always rendering him weak.

He didn't understand why _her, _but he knew she was the key. The key to his lost memories.

"Nii-chan!" a familiar girly voice came from somewhere behind him, interrupting his concentration to remember _more _of the brunette.

Natsume heard the sound of snow crushing under the soles of the owner of the voice, and soon after, he felt gloved hands touch his arm and urge him to stand up. He managed to get up with the help of that someone…whom he knew was Aoi.

"Nii-chan, are you alright? What happened?" Aoi asked, clearly in panic. His sister urged him to walk towards a bench nearby a vending machine, carefully letting him sit.

He tried to ignore the memory of the brunette for the meantime, not wanting to worry Aoi. With great struggle, he slowly opened his eyes and focused his vision at the hands of his sister still holding his arms.

"Nii-chan, did you try to remember _again_?" the young Hyuuga asked, prompting him to answer her.

Ranking two from his list of perplexities, was this. Aoi's actions.

"Yeah," answered Natsume, massaging his temples. He cursed the reason of his lost memories for making him feel the anticipated pain once more.

Ever since Natsume had been discharged from the hospital, Aoi had been always on guard—always observing him, especially if he tried to remember. What puzzled him the most was…how she could always find out at the same time and the same place when he tries to remember. At first he tried to consider that it was coincidence, however after several similar incidents, he proved that Aoi _really _knew whenever and wherever he did try to remember. He had tried asking her about how she does that, but she would never tell him the truth—always answering in stupid remarks such as 'sibling connection' or whatever.

"Nii-chan…" Aoi grumbled, squeezing his gloveless hands tight. "Please…I told you, don't try to remember anymore. You would only endanger your life. Just…try to be happy with what you have right now, and leave the past be," she pleaded, looking straight into her brother's crimson orbs.

Not wanting to argue for the nth time, Natsume just averted his eyes and grabbed his hands from Aoi's grasp. Feeling a lot better than just awhile ago, he stood up and sighed.

"Aoi…Without even a tad bit of the memories of the past, I am _empty,_" Natsume said meaningfully, his eyes focused at the falling snow. He thought of the brunette once more, and he felt his heart clench involuntarily.

_I need her._

'Only she could fill this emptiness I have in me.'

'The answer to the secret of my lost memories.'

'_Mi—"_

***

"—kan!" A familiar male voice coming from behind made her stop on her tracks. She was currently on her way to class, and was at the entrance of the High School Building of Alice Academy as of the moment.

Mikan turned around to meet the olive orbs she was expecting. She wordlessly waited for Youichi to catch up to her. As soon as the gray-haired guy reached a couple of steps away from her, she faced back to the building's entrance and walked on.

"Hey!" Youichi called out from behind, hastening his strides so he could walk alongside her. Mikan just peered at him and then shrugged, while she continued to walk on.

The two silently walked together through the hushed corridors of the building. It was 10 minutes before the start of classes, but since it was freezing cold to stay outside the classrooms, everyone was already inside around this time. Mikan closed her eyes for a moment, feeling the cold late-winter breeze entered through the huge windows of the High School Building.

HS-Class 1B. Mikan stopped in front of the classroom and carelessly opened the door. Her lifeless hazel orbs met a dozen pairs of eyes—the owners falling silent as Mikan averted her eyes and wordlessly walked towards her seat at the farthest back of the room. Not paying attention to the worried stares from the familiar faces of her classmates, she slouched on her seat and hung her school bag and coat on the side of the desk.

_This was the way it was for the past year._

During the last year of middle school, one morning, Mikan entered the classroom—with lifeless eyes, blank stare, her usual bright smile absent from her face, her usual sunny 'Good morning!' not said. That time, Mikan just came in and walked directly to her seat—not bothering to talk to anyone, not even Hotaru.

And the next thing she did shocked everyone.

As soon as she arrived in front of her seat, standing…she gazed blankly at the seat next to hers. _It was Natsume's. _Still staring, she placed her right hand on the table and clutched _something _from her Alice Stone necklace. Her classmates' eyes widened in surprised as Natsume's desk and chair instantly turned black and crumbled into dark ashes. Mikan, sending a last mournful look at the ashes, faced forward to meet the surprised faces of her classmates, her eyes sending a _message._

That moment, everyone knew right away. Natsume and Mikan were _over._

And the Mikan they all knew before _was gone._

Since then, she never approached the gang, and was clearly avoiding everyone. At first, everyone understood that she was not yet ready to be asked about what happened, but as time passed by, they realized that Mikan was intending to shut herself out from everyone.

Not able to take it anymore, especially Hotaru and Ruka, one day, they and her usual group of friends approached her and tried to talk her out of it.

"_Mikan-chan…" Anna nervously called out, as Mikan was currently sleeping with her head on the desk. Startled, Mikan sat up straight and looked at everyone around her with an expression bordering between irritation and impatience._

"_Yes?"_

_Her cold demeanor striking an annoyed nerve within Sumire, the girl slammed her hand on the table. "What the hell, Sakura! Snap out of this act of yours and return back to your usual self!"_

_Mikan furrowed her brows. "That Mikan you know…is gone. So leave me be."_

_Hotaru reached out for Mikan's hand and gripped it tight. "Baka. Tell us. Tell us what happened, and we will help you with it."_

_Ruka, Yuu, Koko, and the others nodded in agreement. They waited in anticipation as the lifeless eyes of Mikan showed a tiny hint of emotion. However, their hope died down when that emotion faded quickly from her hazel orbs and when she spoke the next words._

"_There's nothing you…nor I…can do."_

_Ruka softly protested. "Sakura…"_

"_Just leave me alone," Mikan said in a firm voice, sending an unfamiliar wave of anxiety to everyone around her._

_Hotaru tried once more, her usual stoic expression crumbling a little bit. She was still blaming herself for not being around Mikan during the week before she became like this. Her conscience kept on screaming that she should've just stayed with her. "We're friends…right? Trust us, confide in us, and we'll do our best to help you."_

_The gang expected Mikan's cold façade to break from the inventor's meaningful words, but what happened next was so unexpected that they were left stunned._

_Mikan abruptly stood and slammed her fist on the table, glaring hard at her 'friends'._

"_I told you there's nothing you can do, so go away!"_

_Nonoko instinctively reached out and called, "Mikan-chan…"_

_The brunette shrieked, "Go away!" once more, grabbed her things and turned her back from them._

_No one had the strength to speak afterwards._

After that day, Mikan didn't go to class for almost a month. Hotaru and the others learned that she requested Demi of the Dangerous Ability class to give her all missions she could take, on the condition that she didn't have to go to class. As much as the inventor wanted her best friend to open up to her, she knew that Mikan was too deeply hurt to even listen to what everyone says. So she decided to leave her alone, let time recover the pain she was in…until she was ready to come back to 'life' again. Hotaru vowed that she will continue to look out for Mikan despite the barrier that the brunette created between them. She sent a message to Mikan through her turtle inventions, saying that they would leave her alone until she recovers, and that she hoped Mikan would stop taking an overload of missions and return to class. And Mikan did.

That was how it was for the past year.

Except for one thing. Youichi Hijiri.

During the time when Mikan's unusual behaviour started, Youichi had been absent due to the need for examinations about the complications of his Age Changing Alice, and when he returned, it was around the time when Mikan had skipped classes and took missions instead. Soon after, Youichi stopped going to classes too, and when Mikan returned to classes, Youichi was with her. Though no one spoke it aloud, everyone knew that if there was one who had penetrated Mikan's barrier—it was Youichi.

Youichi proceeded to his desk situated at the back of Mikan's. The space beside the brunette's desk was still empty—no one dared to put a new desk there and sit. He spared a glance at Mikan who was staring at the flakes of snow outside being illuminated by the sunlight. He didn't deny when his heart clenched at the sight of her mournful face—at the thought that she was still lost because of Natsume.

Mikan closed her eyes, trying to suppress the tears that threatened to flow out from her eyes, as Natsume's face fleeted across her mind. It was exactly one year since she visited Natsume at the hospital and officially gave up on him.

Yet—

_I need him._

'Only he could fill this emptiness I have in me.'

'The answer to my lost self.'

***

"Hijiri."

Youichi, knowing very well who it was, didn't bother to sit up from his current position—lying down on the cold floor of the rooftop, with only a thick sheet of blanket protecting his body from the chill. After Natsume left, the rooftop of the High School Building had been his favorite place—and eventually, to his delight, became Mikan's past time place too.

He had been expecting the brunette, but instead, _she _came.

"Hotaru-nee, Mikan will be coming soon," Youichi bluntly stated, implying that with the circumstances between the inventor and the brunette, meeting alone like this would be bad.

"I don't care," Hotaru answered, walking closer to where he lied down. The cropped raven-haired girl dropped her bag to the floor and leaned on the railings of the rooftop, crossing her arms in front of her.

The spirit manipulator huffed an exasperated sigh and sat up, meeting the hard, cold glare of his Hotaru-nee. Despite being the same age now as her, he still felt that she was someone 'older' than him—making him unable to drop the suffix 'nee' when it comes to her.

"Spit it out now," Hotaru ordered, her amethyst eyes scrutinizing him. It would have scared any other student, but the gray-haired lad was used to it by now.

This wasn't the first time the inventor had confronted him like this. She wanted to know what happened between Mikan and Natsume.

"I told you…I don't know," Youichi said, speaking the half-truth. Mikan hadn't told him clearly what exactly happened after those two days she had shut herself inside Mr. Bear's house, but because of the premonition talk they had before the events took place…he had a fair idea what had happened between her and his favorite onii-chan.

Hotaru softly sighed, though her usual stoic expression didn't change. Youichi sat still, knowing that there was no point to the conversation. He was eager to see the inventor give up and just walk away. Though her next words almost choked him.

"I know you like the idiot. Listen, I know that you don't like seeing her so lifeless like that…and I don't like it either. So tell me whatever you know already, and let's help her together" Hotaru frankly said, her tone bordering between exasperation and impatience.

Hotaru's first sentence made Youichi stand up. "I don't know anything, and I don't—" he started, trying to deny the embarrassment, when another voice came from behind them.

"Youichi. Hotaru," Mikan spoke, acknowledging them both, making them spin around to meet her gaze.

The inventor was about to say something when Ruka came from behind Mikan. Her brows furrowed in perplexity.

"M-Mikan said…she's going to tell us what actually happened," Ruka explained, meeting his girlfriend's questioning orbs.

Youichi and Hotaru simultaneously turned to look at the brunette, who in turn curtly nodded. Ruka walked towards where his girlfriend was standing and took his place beside her. Mikan motioned the three to sit down on the blanket where Youichi was lying down on before. She then sat beside Youichi, casually rubbing her hands together to ease the cold.

After a cool, chilly breeze blew by, Mikan closed her eyes, took in a deep breath, and exhaled it slowly. She looked at the three people who waited in anticipation for what she was about to say. Before doing so, she smiled…bitterly, her eyes forlorn with sadness.

"Exactly one year ago…I decided to let Natsume—" her voice broke, but she continued, "—go on and live his normal life…without me."

A mixture of emotions registered on the faces of her friends. No one was able to talk.

"And I intend…to keep it that way," Mikan continued, her expression showing deep sorrow.

Youichi reached for her hand and gripped it tight, sending a meaningful look at her. Ruka grumbled her name, while Hotaru spoke the inevitable question.

Mikan is clearly still in love with Natsume…yet—

"Why?" the inventor softly asked her best friend, who had her eyes closed. Hotaru guessed that the brunette was preventing her tears from falling. She felt an unexplainable gush of sadness for her best friend just by looking at her.

"Because…" Mikan started, opening her eyes, letting two or three bullets of tears escape from her hazel orbs.

From there, she explained in detail what happened between her and Natsume, and why it had come to this.

***

Screws, metal boards, magnets, electric wires all came crashing down to the floor.

Hotaru stared blankly at the ruined robot frame she had been working on for past an hour. She let out a low curse and bent over to pick up the materials, when someone from behind her silently gathered the pieces for her. The inventor looked at the blonde guy appreciatively and wordlessly walked away from her working table towards the only window in her laboratory—casually peering at the darkness outside.

After Mikan's confession of what happened between her and Natsume, Hotaru had been like this—her usual calculative and careful demeanor all gone.

When Ruka finished rearranging the materials on top of his girlfriend's working table, he cast a weary glance at her, struggling to speak.

"H-Hotaru, what's the matter?"

The inventor returned an irritated glance at the animal pheromone wielder, making his breathing come to a quick halt. "W-what…?"

The blonde swallowed nervously and continued, "You seem not yourself. Are you…worried about Mikan going to missions tonight, or is there something—"

She wearily squirmed from where she was standing and at that moment he was expecting her to shoot him or just shrug him off, but he saw Hotaru place a hand on her face and sighed frustratingly.

"I…did something," she started, her voice quite nervous.

Ruka, alarmed, quickly approached her. "What? What do you mean?"

She crossed her arms and stared at the falling snow outside. _She didn't know she would miscalculate gravely like this._

"Hotaru?" he asked once more, anxious by her silence.

She sighed as she started. "Before Hyuuga took the extraction, I gave him a box of his and Mikan's pictures—something I thought would be good to trigger his memory after."

"The memory box? But Mikan said she ordered Aoi to dispose of the box—"

Hotaru met Ruka's cerulean orbs. "Yes. But I did…something else. I wanted to make sure that the jerk wouldn't forget about Mikan, lest the box be lost or what," she sighed wearily then continued. "So I created a device—I installed a projector video on the one thing I'm sure he wouldn't take off—and that video, like the memory box, will definitely trigger his memories as well."

"W-where did you install it?" he asked, getting a bit jittery at the revelation. If Natsume remembers, he will break, according to Mikan's premonitions. He didn't want that to happen too.

"His controlling device earring. It was given to me for deactivation a week before the extraction issue came up, and Hyuuga said he wanted it, so I took the chance to install it there."

A deafening silence came between them.

"S-so… what should we do?" Ruka asked in a tiny voice, knowing that it would piss her off. But he wanted to do something. He couldn't let his best friend be in danger.

Hotaru walked past him, bumping him on the shoulder quite hard. She strode towards the door of her lab, grabbing her coat along the way. Ruka silently followed her, not knowing where she was going but he was intent to go with her.

"Maybe Mikan's uncle could help us," she muttered, grabbing Ruka's coat and tossing it to him. She gave him a warning stare as she turned the doorknob. "At any rate, don't tell Mikan about—"

Hotaru's entire system halted when her amethyst eyes met hazel ones as soon as she opened the door. Mikan was there—standing still, staring blankly at her, tears flowing freely from her orbs.

"S-Sakura…" Ruka managed to murmur her name, alarmed by the realization that she heard.

Mikan heard everything about the projector video and Natsume being in danger of breaking… once again.

Hotaru was about to say something when the brunette quickly turned her back on the couple and ran away as fast as she could.

She thought it was over. That her nightmares were over.

But no.

* * *

**A/N: I'm getting the hang of ending with cliffys :p I always write like that before, and as much as I tried to remedy it, it's coming back . Anyway, bear with me :)**

**By the way, for everyone who had been reading my (and my partner's) GA scanlations up on MangaFox, I hope you could enter the Tachibana Higuchi fan letter project I'm hosting before the deadline, Nov 30. Details are there. :)**

**Now, could you please push that green button? :D**

**Yours,**

_**bEhiND_tHY_cRiMsoN_eYEs (GA scanlating penname)  
**_

_**bAritUde no kOkorO (FFN penname)**_


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: Whatever I do, Gakuen Alice still belongs to Tachibana Higuchi.

**A/N: ...........................Sorry. I hope this could make it up for the laaaaate update. Don't be mad at me, I've been real busy :'(**

** Anyway, here's some action and yes, more drama, for you. Thanks for all the support, and I hope you're still with me~ Have fun reading :)**

* * *

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

Youichi peered over his shoulder. In the darkness of the forest they were currently at, he could nevertheless see the unrest in Mikan's features. Not just see—but _sense _it too. When she nearly tripped due to a _huge_ branch blocking the trail they were taking, Youichi sighed in exasperation, halted and faced her.

"Mikan," he asked, concern etching his tone. His olive orbs stared straight to her hazel ones—sending the message that he was, _this time, _serious.

The brunette raised a brow while fumbling with the gun hung on the belt on her hip. "I told you, it's nothing. I'm perfectly fine." When the gray-haired guy stayed silently staring at her, she continued, "I can do this mission, Youichi. Don't treat me like a kid." _And you're supposed to be the kid, _she added dryly, in her thoughts.

Still not contented, he crossed his arms and gave the impression that he will not continue walking unless she told him _what was wrong._

Mikan sighed in impatience and spoke with a hard tone. "We're in the middle of a mission, Youichi."

"I'm not starting any dangerous mission with you when you're _like this, _Mikan," he replied, having the same heat in his tone.

The glared at each other for a while—the sound of the spring peepers blaring all around them as if the little gray frogs hiding in the puddles around the huge forest area could feel the tension between two of the most talented students of Alice Academy.

"Let's talk about it _later, _after the mission," Mikan drawled with implicit annoyance. When the gray-haired boy still seemed unconvinced, she raised her right brow. "I told you, I'm fine. Now let's go or I'll ditch you and call the Academy for another partner."

Without wasting any second, the brunette walked past him. Due to the bitter _fact _that the girl had already done it before—sending an SOS message to the Academy for another partner just because she was pissed at him—left him with no choice but to follow the brunette marching away. When he saw her knock her own head with her fist out of the blue—a personal vice of her indicating she was trying hard to keep something off her mind—he sighed, and decided that he would need to keep a close eye on her for tonight.

* * *

Mikan fired two consecutive shots at two men and ran across the hall. She heard Youichi shoot a few more while following her towards the grand staircase. Reaching the foot of the large flight of stairs, she crouched at the side and gathered her concentration—she tried to sense where the History Alice child who is being held captive in this human-trafficking lord's mansion. As soon as the spirit manipulator reached where she was, she had determined where the kid was.

"Two flights up," Mikan whispered to Youichi, the latter nodding. The brunette continued. "I'm going to get the kid, you clear the way."

"Got it. Make it fast, Mikan," replied the gray-haired boy.

She just smiled curtly and got up on her feet. "See you in a bit," she said, gripped her gun and sprinted the first long flight of stairs. Youichi, a bit startled with her sudden leave, quickly got on his feet and ran after her, firing at a number of men who were getting in her way.

Mikan dodged and attacked at the same time, her only intent was to reach the room where she sensed the boy they were ordered to rescue as fast as she can. She had _other matters_ to attend to after this mission.

As quick flashbacks of the conversation between Hotaru and Ruka that she overheard before the mission entered her mind, her focus faltered for a bit and the next thing she saw was a bullet coming right for her. She quickly activated her Barrier Alice and countered the man who aimed at her, along with the other enemies attacking her.

Seeing the hall cleared from upcoming attacks, she wiped the beads of sweat trickling down her forehead. She took a quick turn on the left towards the next flight of stairs, sensing the child with the Alice better. At least, she thought, it would be a quick mission—since there are no other people with Alices siding with the enemy. She really had to get back to the Academy, _as soon as possible._

Shadows of men loomed over her as soon as she took the first few steps of the staircase.

"Hey, missy," one of the bigger men spoke, sneering at her legs which her military shorts were gracefully showing. The creepy brute continued, "How about you stop being heroine and just _party_ with us, huh."

_Snap._

Mikan had rushed through the barricade of burly men and kicked the knee of the big man who just chattered nonsense to her, breaking his kneecap in an instant. It was followed by consecutive rings of shots and throaty screams of pain. She aimed with accurate precision and in a twinkling of an eye, the last man standing was seen falling down the stairs, his hand over his chest.

"No time to party, idiots," she muttered, while keeping her pace towards the room of their objective.

* * *

"Onee-cha_mmpphhh_!" a dark brown-haired little boy's voice filled the silent conference room.

Mikan skidded to a full stop, her eyes focused on the old man with his hand clamped over the boy's mouth. The man, despite his age, looked menacingly both at her and the boy. She couldn't understand it, but there was some kind of a mismatched overconfidence that flowed from the man's aura. She concentrated hard to sense if the old man holding the boy captive was an Alice, but she couldn't recognize any.

"Cat got your tongue, li'l girl?" the bald gramps spoke, an eerie smile plastered on his face.

Mikan mustered all her confidence to ward a _threatening _aura. She didn't like being rough on old men, so she would try to talk him out of it.

"Hand over the boy," she spoke clearly, the quiet of the room complementing the ring of her voice. It came out just as she wanted.

A throaty laughter came out as a reply from the old man. "Do you think," he started, in between small laughs, "—that I'll give you my _treasure_?" He laughed hard once more. "I'm going to sell this kiddo and I'm gonna be a million times _richer _than I am right now, you hear that!"

She couldn't help but raise a brow. "I'm telling you gramps, now that I'm here, there's no way you can do that." Mikan took a few steps forward and continued. "I could get that boy in an instant, and end up _killing _you."

She saw the man coil for a bit, pulling the boy with him as he stepped farther back. Mikan knew she was getting it.

She placed on hand on her hip and pulled one gun from her buckle. She glanced on her pistol then gave a lingering glare at the old man. "I don't want to use _violence_, gramps. So listen to me, and just hand the boy over."

The man's face suddenly reddened in anger. "And then what! You're going to kill me anyway! Or you're going to send me to jail, to whatever hell you want me to!" He turned to the boy beside him and slapped him in the face, which made Mikan clench her fists.

"You idiot, use your powers, goddamit! Get that girl!" the old man ordered the little kid while giving him small punches in the head.

The boy, who started crying, spoke in between sobs. "I…I c-cant…"

"What do you mean you can't!! Trap her some painful memory from her past!"

Mikan was taken aback for an instant there, suddenly remembering a raven-haired lad with crimson eyes.

"I...I can't… I don't know but… I r-really can't," the boy whispered, still sobbing.

"Of course, he wouldn't be able to," Mikan answered for the boy. The man sent a glare towards her, but she ignored it, and allowed herself to explain. "I cancel out his _powers._ He couldn't use it as long as I'm here."

The boy looked astonished, while the man was angered all the more. "You bi----"

His foul word wasn't able to finish when Mikan teleported in an instant behind them to grab the boy from the man's hold, followed by a hard elbow in the old man's jaw, causing him to shut up. She hid held the boy with her right hand, stomped on the torso of the old man, and aimed her pistol at him.

"I've wasted enough of my time. _Goodnight, _old man," Mikan said as she pulled the trigger.

What she didn't notice right away was the eerie smirk that crept through the man's wrinkled face.

* * *

Youichi froze when he heard the loud explosion. _No doubt, _it came from the floor where Mikan was heading. He shot the last of the mansion guards and sprinted the two flights of the grand staircase where the brunette said she would be heading. Cold sweat trickled from Youichi's forehead and extremities as unwanted images flashed through his head.

_No. Mikan couldn't be…_

Ashes and splinters of wood and glass were scattered on the remaining part of the floor. When he had a full view of the whole burning room, he stared appalled at it for a moment. Cold dread started to run through his veins.

_Mikan, no…_

He took long strides and entered the fire-devoured room, looking for signs of the brunette. His heart raced with fear as his eyes couldn't catch anything in the sea of fire all around him. In desperation, he took the risk of being detected by the enemy, and screamed for Mikan's name.

"Mikan!" he shouted, finding his voice in unusual panic. "Mikan, answer me!"

The chandelier above him rained shreds of glass as it exploded due to the heat in the room. Youichi doubled his Barrier around him and quickly advanced through the burning area.

"Mikan, are you there?! It's Youichi, answer me!" he called once more, ending up coughing from the smoke. Tears started to form in his eyes, making him curse.

"Mikan!!!" he shouted again, desperation hinting his voice. Youichi tried hard to ward the negative thoughts in his head, just as much as he was doing his best to ward off the smoke and fire away from him.

_She couldn't die. She couldn't… _

Sobs.

Youichi stopped in his tracks the moment he heard those. He looked around him to see signs of Mikan or from whom the sobs came from, until he saw a faint glint from afar. The same glint that his barrier was giving off. Relief flooded his whole system.

_Mikan's alive. She's---_

He felt his heart stop beating that _very _moment. Frozen in place, he couldn't get his eyes off the sight of the brunette sprawled and bleeding on the floor. _Sobs. _It wasn't until he heard those sniffles when he noticed the small boy slouched beside—

"Mikan!!" Youichi called out, panic, fear, confusion and hurt clouding his reason. He ignored the kid right there, quickly gathering the brunette in his arms. There was so much blood oozing from the back of her head, and there were raw burns from her left shoulder to her arm. He couldn't help but feel rage at the moment to whoever caused her this pain.

"Mikan! Mikan, wake up! It's me Youichi!" he muttered in alarm, shaking her softly as he called her name. When he didn't get anything, his head spun towards the crying boy.

"You, are you the boy with the History Alice? Tell me, what happened!"

The kid with dark-brown hair cowered in fear and cried louder due to the obvious hint of rage in the pale silver-haired guy in front of him. Youichi cursed loud and was about to yell at the boy again, when he felt a soft pinch in his side.

His head quickly spun back, to see Mikan's eyebrows scrunched and her eyelids half-open. She breathed in and out slowly, clearly trying hard to speak.

"S…tu…pid," she murmured after a few seconds. "Do you want…to get us three…killed…here?" she continued in between sharp intakes of breath.

Youichi didn't know what to say. He was more than relieved to see Mikan alive. He couldn't explain the rush of emotions that was overwhelming him right now.

Especially when he saw Mikan smile faintly, closing her eyes. _That smile who always brightened anyone's day._

"I'm really not going with you…to another mission, you…idiot," the brunette spoke, the little smile still on her lips. She weakly rummaged through her pockets and eventually took out a small stone, the color nearly unrecognizable. She held it over Youichi's chest, apparently, inserting the stone into him. The spirit-manipulator kept silent, feeling the faint heat enter his body.

With the stone gone from her hand, Mikan limply held Youichi's hand with her good one.

"Get the boy. Teleport…to………"

Not being able to withstand her injuries and Alice overuse, she completely passed out.

* * *

"Nii-chan! Nii-chan, wake up!"

Natsume woke into a startle, beads of sweat from his forehead trickling down, his heart thumping hard that he could hear it. He stared at the ceiling as he tried to calm down and gather his senses. Closing his eyes and opening it once more, he finally managed to compose his disarrayed thoughts. But not the _unexplained panic _he still felt since he woke up.

"Nii-chan, thank god you're awake now!" Natsume heard Aoi utter words of relief beside him. He squinted at the high pitch his sister had, making him push himself to sit up from the bed. He covered his face with one hand, still trying to recover from the after-effects of the nightmare he just had.

"Are you alright? You were having a nightmare," his sister continued, making him think, _yeah, obviously._

Natsume tried to recall what was that he dreamt about. After he returned from the Academy where he woke up, it was the first time that he had a nightmare. There were the headaches, but there were no nightmares, nor dreams. He thought that it was natural because…he doesn't remember anything, and dreams or nightmares were connected with a person's memories and thoughts.

An image of a brunette, crying, flashed through his head.

_Her. Again._

He was expecting another wave of throbbing headache, yet there was none. Strange. It was the first time that happened too.

When he kept silent, Aoi shrugged his shoulder. "Nii-chan, are you al—"

"I am," he growled, annoyed by the interruption. He pushed her hand away. "Now don't bother me anymore."

He heard Aoi groan and felt her stand up from the bed. He closed his eyes once more, in an attempt to remember what he dreamed about.

Yet a barrage of images flooded through his mind, as if a video was being played rewind.

_Explosion. Fire._

Panic started to fill his system once again.

_A scream of pain._

Pangs of throbbing pain crashed through him. It was way more intense than his previous headaches, making him feel waves of nausea. He clutched onto the bed as he felt like he was on a rollercoaster in the speed of light.

_Another scream._

"Nii-chan! Nii-chan, what's wrong with you?" he faintly heard Aoi yell in terror.

More throbs of headache.

_The brunette. Her. Again._

_Lying on the floor. Blood. Burns._

_Mi--…!_

"Mi…", Natsume whispered involuntarily, already dizzy from the continuous pangs of pain in his head.

"Father! Nii-chan is… Nii-chan is sick again! Help!" shouted Aoi, but he barely figured out the words anymore.

"_Natsume…" a faint voice inside his head echoed. "Natsume don't…"_

He found himself hearing that voice clear enough, yet he couldn't respond or do anything. His vision was turning white from the nausea when—

"_Natsume don't…leave me alone."_

The moment he found himself staring into a pair of hazel orbs, he had muttered the next word.

"Mi….kan."

And then he passed out.

* * *

**Erm... Reviews?**


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